Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A rare photographic documentation of this beautiful ancestral art.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

A matter of prestige and pride, Moroccan embroidery has made everyday garments and furnishings vibrant and opulent for centuries, reaching its height 200 years ago. First-time author and ethnologist Denamur hopes to share her passion for this craft with a wide, appreciative audience. Introductory chapters outline the history of Moroccan embroidery, the trade and traditions of the craft. The bulk of the book catalogs and details the embroidery of seven primary geographic regions in Morocco. The 250 color photographs are stunning in their richness and detail-one could almost imagine stroking the page and feeling each stitch and knot. The black-and-white period photos of embroidery-garbed Moroccan women and salons are inspired. However, text and organization are the disappointments of this book. There is no index, and the text reads like a school research paper, with stilted language and numerous quotations, as if the author is uncomfortable drawing her own conclusions. Though the illustrations are certainly a draw, the text may prove tiresome to all but the most determined. For specialized collections only; an additional purchase elsewhere.-Karen Ellis, Nicholson Memorial Lib. Syst., Garland, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Morocco, whose culture over time has absorbed African, Mediterranean, and European influences, produced sumptuous embroidery from the Middle Ages until the mid-1950s. Women, whose place in the society was home and harem, were taught needlework at a young age. Employing motifs and patterns prevalent in their regions, these women embellished linen and cotton fabrics with unplied silk thread for apparel and household--cushion covers, pillows, curtains for doorways, as well as textiles for ritual uses, such as weddings and funerals. Denamur identifies two stylistic origins: the rustic Berber type characterized by coherent geometric, rectilinear shapes; and the urban Hispanic-Moorish type of curvilinear motifs integrating the straight lines and symmetry of the Berbers. She focuses on several centers of this urban art, giving accounts of the monochromatic work of Fez, multicolored embroideries of Rabat, Tetouan pieces that feature tulips and hyacinths of the Ottoman textiles, as well as other styles occurring locally. Beautifully laid out and illustrated with color photographs of magnificent embroideries and period pictures and furnished with a bibliography, the volume summarizes and sets a context for this declining textile tradition. For collections in textiles and ethnography. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduates through faculty. M. Tulokas Rhode Island School of Design