RABAT, MOROCCO, LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY

This type of gold-embroidered red velvet dress finds its origin in medieval Castile. It is thought to have been brought to north Africa by Jewish immigrants after 1492 and the Reconquista. A closely related example is in the Musee des Oudayas and attributed to Rabat, late 19th or early 20th century (Inv.47.15.156/D.1882 Maroc, les Tresors du Royaume, Paris, 1999, cat.156, p.118). Their traditional Moroccan name is L-ksoua l-kbira (the great mantel).