Azemmour Embroidered Pillowcase

This Azemmour embroidered pillowcase was made in the 18th century. The embroidery was originally one long piece, but it was cut in half and applied to two edges of a white linen panel to form a pillow case.

Azemmour is an ancient port on the coast of Morocco near Casablanca. The eponymous embroidery work that originated there was usually done with red or blue floss silk on linen, and the finished product was usually used for home furnishings. Textile artists who produced Azemmour embroidery created their desired motifs in the negative space of their thread work, similar to Assisi embroidery in Italy and Toledo embroidery in Spain. This similarity is likely due to the significant migration of Muslims and Jews from Spain to Morocco in the 15th century.

The number of artists embroidering in this style began to wane at the end of the 20th century, because of the high cost of production.