Moroccan textile embroidery is a

resplendent craft tradition born of the

desire to create a refined backdrop to

everyday life. The embroideries-the

product of patience, perseverance, and

rigor-use natural silk thread in radiant

colors such as flame yellow or old gold,

raspberry red, sky blue, or electric violet on

muslin, lawn, linen, cotton, or silk. The

embroidered pieces range from practical

items for the home such as curtains, bed

covers, tablecloths, and handtowels, to

clothing accessories such as belts, scarves,

and shawls. The decorative embroidery

serves also as a reinforcement to prevent

fragile fabrics from fraying, and as a

showcase for a young woman's talent with

a needle.

Isabelle Denamur takes us on a tour of

Morocco : from the ancient city of Fez to the

Andalusian-influenced Tétouan, and from

the bustling capital of Rabat to the town of

Azemmour, slumbering beside the ocean,

its small white houses and splendid

gardens nestled within ocher-colored

ramparts. Within each city a unique

embroidery art form has developed, from

designs based on Byzantine bestiary to

floral motifs of tulips, hyacinths, and wild

roses, and from abstract patterns in a

multitude of bright colors to motifs

reminiscent of manuscript illuminations

and mosaics.

Moroccan Textile Embroidery features

over a hundred exceptional pieces of

embroidery, along with rare photographs

and paintings of Moroccan life that place

this superb craftwork in its historical

context. It aims to be a complete resource,

containing detailed references to apprenticeship

methods, techniques, and materials,

and above all providing an eloquent

testimony to the sophisticated artistic

tastes of a society where beauty and

practicality go hand in hand.