Bridal tunic of embroidery with silver-gilt thread

This gold coloured tunic was made in Tunisia. It is a bridal tunic and was made some time around 1940 in the coastal town of Hammamét. The tunic has a simple design, created from a single length of fabric with an opening at the neck, sewn together at the sides, and with short sleeves. It was probably made by Jewish seamstresses and the material used is very special. This can be seen at the neck where the fabric is slightly worn. They used cotton yarn around which paper was wrapped, and then around this paper was wound a layer of silver-gilt thread. This resulted in the thick golden threads which were used to embroider the whole tunic. Weddings in North Africa usually last several days and this tunic was probably worn on the third day. The bride changes outfits several times a day, so she probably only wore this stiff and heavy tunic for a few hours.

123 x 105 x 3,8cm (48 7/16 x 41 5/16 x 1 1/2in.)

Source: collectie.tropenmuseum.nl