Ensemble with Festive Dress from Qalamoun

Unknown

late 19th–early 20th century · Linen, silk, metal wrapped thread; plain weave, embroidered · Islamic Art

This ensemble includes various garments, all probably made in Syria. However, it is not clear whether the individual pieces were assembled to be sold for the tourist market. Among the garments is a festive dress or thob from Qalamoun, a mountainous region in northwest Syria, near the Lebanese border. It is a white dress, hand-sewn of undyed linen with extensive embroidery in silk and metal wrapped thread. The embroidery of this garment is particularly fine. Such dresses from Qalamoun were worn over a pair of decorated trousers. This thob has a widening skirt and long, triangular (winged) sleeves associated with festivals and weddings. It is a pullover dress. The neck opening has a circular collar with pointed ends that extend into a slightly concave oval slit at the chest level. The triangular sleeve section is in a different color than the white of the main fabric, which is typical for such festive dresses. In this example, deep red linen was chosen for the triangular sleeve section with tassels hanging down at the very end. These decorative long sleeves enhance the wearer’s movements during dance and create expressive, colorful effects, which is why these dresses also are known as "dance dresses". The embroidery is commonly applied on the skirt. This example belongs to the group with a prominent niche-like panel with a pointed arch at the waistline. This panel is filled with repeating colorful tile patterns, each consisting of a rosette surrounded by S-like motifs. Motifs of cypress trees line up on top of the triangular arch.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 19th–early 20th century

Medium

Linen, silk, metal wrapped thread; plain weave, embroidered

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of Irene Lewisohn and Alice Lewisohn Crowley, 1939