Palestinian Doll's Thob al-Malek Royal Dress
A Palestinian "royal dress" with an embroidered chest panel on striped silk, made at doll size; it shows the structure of a real wedding dress in miniature. Full commentary ↓
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Palestinian Doll's Thob al-Malek Royal Dress is a textile by an unknown maker (19th century) in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It measures 52.7 cm.
In the pictureA long dress made of red, green and black striped cloth is laid out flat. On the chest is a square embroidered panel edged in yellow, and there is red embroidery and yellow trim on the shoulders and upper sleeves as well. The sleeves are long and hang down to points, and at 53 cm long it is made for a doll.
BackgroundThob al-malek means "royal dress" and refers to the most elaborate form of wedding dress in the Bethlehem area. The striped silk was woven in Syria, and by rule the chest panel embroidery is filled with gold thread and silk. This doll's dress is a faithful miniature of the real garment, so its structure and colors can be taken in at a glance.
Puzzle tipThe direction of the stripes and the order of the colors show where pieces go. Fit the yellow-edged chest panel and the shoulder embroidery first, then join the striped pieces by checking their vertical order against the preview. The pointed sleeve ends have distinct shapes. 100 pieces work well.
- Classification
- Miscellaneous
- Medium
- Cotton, silk; plain weave, taffeta, appliqué, embroidered
- Dimensions
- 52.7 cm
- Credit line
- Gift of Laila Costan-Conner, 1952
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
Stories about this work
- From Kurta to Cloak: Six Garments from the Islamic World, Told Apart by Shape
Even within Islamic-world dress, a different shape makes an entirely different garment. Six pieces, from two kurtas to a doll-sized wedding dress, sorted by form.
