Bodice for great dress

This bodice would be worn under a vest as an important part of the ceremonial costume and wedding dress of an urban Jewish woman in Morocco. It is made of dark red-colored velvet, decorated with gold-thread embroidery couched on leather cutouts. The floral patterns are organized around a central motif of tendrils encircling a form of palmette. Gold-thread embroidery was done by Jewish craftsmen, both men and women. It was a traditional craft believed to have been brought to Morocco by Jews expelled from Spain.