Assuit shawl in off white with silver coloured metal strips in a geometric design.

This shawl is likely to be from the late 19th century or early 20th century when these were designed and made for people travelling to Egypt.

Assuit shawls were made in the town of Assuit in Egypt, in the late 19th century a French entrepreneur built a small net factory in Upper Egypt to help stimulate the depressed economy of the area, hoping to create a cottage industry relying on the specialist embroidery skills of the people who lived-in this region during the late 19th century. By hand, designs were created by wrapping strips of metal around the threads into, usually geometric designs, the strips are threaded into the mesh, criss crossed, flattened with the finger nails and cut, the fabric is then stamped down and when the designs are finished the fabric is passed through a roller to flatten the metal even more. 

Coptic Christian designs often have animal and human figures.

In 1893 Orientalism was very popular and 'Belly Dance' was introduced to the American public at the Chicago World Fair. These shawls were popularised by dancers because of the wonderful drape the fabric creates.

The metal when tested is often silver with a high copper content.

Dimensions :

Length         210 cm

Width          112 cm

Condition :

Very good with one small repair.