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Antique Deco ASSUIT Assiut Silver Embroidery Net Shawl
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Antique Deco ASSUIT Assiut Silver Embroidery Net Shawl
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They are ALL fabulous, but some are just more fabulous than others.
This fantastic example of "Tulle-bi-Telli" (Arabic "Net-with-Metal") is an huge shawl, solid with silver. It is of finest quality, truly lavish, and in near mint condition. Here it is, with no reserve, for your consideration. It is difficult to capture the beauty of this textile in still photographs. Small silver strips are individually applied, woven in and flattened into small packets that decorate the cotton/linen mesh with sparkly patterns. The fabric flows and drapes with the weight of the metal and the bias of the tulle, solid and transparent, curve hugging, liquid silver. It is a technique originating with Coptic wedding shawls in Assiut, a village on the banks of the Nile, in Upper Egypt, and becoming known in the West through the Orientalism of Flaubert, Delacroix, the Grand Tour, King Tut, Art Deco, the Egypt Pavillion at the Chicago Worlds Fair... the stuff of legends. This rare shawl is approximately 100 years old. It is fully decorated, solid, stunning, measuring 30" wide by 100" long. Out of curiosity I counted the number of "silver packets" in one square inch (25) and did the math: this shawl has about 75,000 bits of metal, each applied individually by hand! It weighs nearly three pounds. The silver strips are very fine, and the workmanship is outstanding. The metal is Sterling or Plate. It is in excellent condition with the following flaws noted. Photograph #9: Small repaired hole, darned or patched, on corner of border. This is the only break/repair in the body of the shawl!! It is inexpertly done. Doesn't appear to result from weak net. Photograph #10: Darkened area (tarnish) as if from folding or storage. This can also be seen in Photograph #4 on the lower left hand side. To my eye it is lost in the drape and folds of the shawl. This is more like a darkened patina than a rough oxidized area. Photograph #11: Small tarnish marks Further flaws: The shawl has a hand rolled hem on all four sides, and this has come unrolled and unstitched in areas. There are also two small thread breaks outside of the body of the shawl (not containing metal studs) along the unsilvered net, like little nibbles, not weakened net. NOTE: I store my Assuit shawls (30 year collection!) laundered and rolled in acid free tissue. To prepare for auction I wash it again (carefully!!), and examine it row by row for thread breaks and other problems. Unfortunately these shawls are often not cleaned for decades, which can cause condition issues that are only revealed upon cleaning. This shawl is in excellent condition, the net is strong and supple, clean and from a non smoking cat friendly home. Size: 30" x 100" Weight: 2 lbs 14 oz. Thank you for your interest. Please ask questions if you wish. Newcomers to eBay and International members please contact me before bidding. I am listing this treasure with no reserve and a low opening; I hope this will be a fun and lively auction for all! I am listing some pieces of vintage 1970's Persian metallic lace and other Middle Eastern and Asian textiles and treasures this week; please have a look! In particular, serious textile collectors might be interested in the exceedingly rare 1920's wire and gold lace embroidered dress ending on February 21. 
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