Swa, Ti-Swa, or Amazigh
Siwa Oasis, Egypt
Siwa wedding shawl
INV-2849
Swa, Ti-Swa, or Amazigh
Siwa Oasis, Egypt20th century
Siwa wedding shawl
Swa, Ti-Swa, or Amazigh Siwa Oasis, Egypt →costumecostume - embroidery
Date
20th century
Medium
Cotton or silk; embroidered with silk
Dimensions
Shawl, with fringe: 146.1 × 85.1 cm (57 1/2 × 33 1/2 in.); Shawl, without fringe: 134.7 × 80.1 cm (53 × 31 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Dr. and Mrs. Magnus P. Urnes Memorial Endowment Fund
The traditional Siwan wedding ensemble was elaborate: The bride wore seven layered, striped tunics, a dress, and a shawl. Here, the dress features vibrant embroidery concentrated on the neckline and chest. The Siwa believe its adornments of mother-of-pearl buttons and cowrie shells, known as “Eye of the Sun,” ward off evil and promote fertility. The veil is also densely embroidered with symbolic motifs. Radiating circles represent the sun, lighting the wearer’s path, while the “bride” motif—rhombus and triangles repeated in lines across its surface—symbolizes her hopes for married life.
—Dr. Heba Khairy Metwaly (Egyptian), museum and cultural heritage specialist, Egypt and Saudi Arabia
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