1753 SOLD Antique Mahmoudi Bakhnoug Shawl - Textile Art Masterpiece

Sold to a discerning Antique Art-Lover

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Mahmoudi (woman's mantle) Bakhnoug Wool Wedding Shawl

Spectacular geometric and abstract motifs. They form an alphabet through which declarations of belonging, of faith and messages of goodwill and hope are expressed.

This particular bakhnoug has several unique charming features:

Note the highly developed central motif - each column has 5 ornaments on it and 6 scattered around each. [Compare this to asset 1318 that has been sold that has only 3 ornaments on each column].

Note the vertical edges with finger-like strips. Each strip has a unique pattern of ornaments - I could count about a dozen unique ones on each side.

Note also the zigzag pattern on the outer edge of these strips - somewhat like a reinforcing selvedge maybe?

Wool with cotton supplementary patterns.

The piece is dyed after weaving and the cotton resists the indigo. Sometimes the cotton is not completely pure and does not resist the dye completely. This is probably the reason there is a blue hue even in the supplementary threads that should have been completely white.

Berber people from the border of Tunisia and Libya

Does not lie e completely flat - some warping.

From the mid 1900s

120 X 212 cm

These textiles are very important to the family and so rarely available commercially.

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This item has spent a lifetime being used for the purpose of its creation with the original artist/user. Signs of this life lived heartily may be present on the piece in the form of stains, thread loss, loose threads, holes, tears, color run and other imperfections. Therefore the condition must be assumed to be “not” perfect. More photos of such imperfections will be provided on request.

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