Berber Wedding Veil / Head Cover

A bride, in the Middle Atlas, wore wishes. Woven in.

Textiles were central to Berber marriage, and veils and head coverings made for a bride carried wishes for protection and good fortune. This one, woven of wool in the early 20th century, is a nearly square panel of soft cream, edged all around in deep brown. Two dark rectangular patches are woven into opposite sides. Twisted tassels in brown and rust hang from the four corners.

Small spots and faint discoloration show its age and use. Twenty by twenty-two inches. Quiet, and graphic. Something, once, began under it.