cloak
- Museum number
- Af,+.5773
- Description
-
Cloak made of textile (goat hair), with a brightly-coloured 'eye' motif.
- Production date
- 19thC
- Dimensions
-
Length: 124 centimetres
-
Width: 355 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- In North Africa there is a widespread belief in the evil eye, the casting of covetous glances from one person upon the belongings of another. Many items, particularly textiles, are given a decorative pattern to combat the evil eye. This cloak has a brightly-coloured 'eye' motif to protect the wearer. Adult Jewish men could wear this cloak provided the design faced inwards, thus denoting their different faith, though the belief in the protective power of the eye remained the same.
C.J. Spring and J. Hudson, North African textiles (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
1995, London, Museum of Mankind (Room 5), 'Display and Modesty'
2011 Oct-Dec, London, Brunei Gallery, Weaving the Threads of Livelihood: the aesthetic & embodied knowledge of Berber weavers.
- Acquisition date
- 1892
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Af,+.5773
- Additional IDs
-
CDMS number: Af1892C2.5773 (old CDMS no.)
