Wedding ensemble
A sleeveless wedding overgarment of black silk embroidered with gold-thread vines, made in Elbasan, Albania, in the late 19th century. Full commentary ↓
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Wedding ensemble is a textile by an unknown maker (late 19th century) in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It measures 114 cm.
In the pictureA long sleeveless overgarment of black silk is draped sideways on a mannequin. Bold vines and flowers are embroidered in gold thread along the front opening, the hem and the side seams, and a striped lining shows on the inside. The shoulders and neckline are also trimmed with gold thread.
BackgroundThe Met's records give the place of manufacture as Elbasan in central Albania, and the ensemble consists of six parts, including this overgarment (114 cm long). It was given by Bertha May Taylor in 1988. A red wedding ensemble that came from the same donor in the same year is recorded as from Tirana, Durrës and Kavajë, so the two are not a pair but garments from different towns. Metal-wrapped thread is heavy and stiff, so it is often concentrated at the edges rather than spread over the whole garment; unlike the red ensemble, whose ground is covered entirely with pattern, this one keeps its gold thread to the front opening, hem and side seams.
Puzzle tipThe black areas are large, so pick out the gold embroidery pieces first and fit them from the edges. The striped lining pieces and the white parts of the mannequin help fix positions, and for the black pieces, judge direction by the sheen of the silk. 48 pieces is recommended.
- Classification
- Main dress-Womenswear
- Medium
- silk, cotton, metallic thread
- Dimensions
- 114 cm
- Credit line
- Gift of Burta May Taylor, in memory of her husband, Elliott J. Taylor, 1988
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
Stories about this work
- Syrian Festive Dresses and Albanian Wedding Ensembles Whose Embroidery Names the Village
Festive dresses from Quteife, north of Damascus, and the mountainous Qalamun region are told apart by their embroidery. Add two gold-thread wedding ensembles from Albanian towns, and we assemble five garments from the Met's Islamic Art department as puzzles.
