Egyptian Appliquee with Arabesque Design

The Street of the Tent Makers is in the old city of Cairo. Here in little cubicles, male tailors and their apprentices used to applique by hand wall hangings, cushions and bedcovers for the domestic and tourist markets. Popular patterns were scenes from ancient Egyptian mythology, arabesques, calligraphy and birds. Mostly large scale with bold geometric patterns, they were used locally as screens and canopies in festivities.After the excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun in the nineteen twenties and the ensuing popularity of all things Egyptians, Egyptian appliques were sold in Liberty of London. These now often turn up in British antique shops.