Marie-Rose Rabate

In order to exist, in the eyes of others as well as in one's own, to protect oneself from the influences of the invisible, adornment has appeared as a panacea; among the various solutions found throughout space to this universal need, none could be more exemplary than those presented to us by the beautiful work of Marie-Rose Rabat devoted to Jewels of Morocco. Far from the tedious typology and the Byzantine analysis of forms and symbols, the author gives us a sober description announced by the title, based on an exhaustive collection of documents collected with the greatest respect for Moroccan culture and traditions, and the most scrupulous scientific concern. The importance of the social and psychological role of jewelry is no longer to be mentioned. But here, to convince oneself, only look straight at this Bou Izakarn's woman, at the decline of her maturity, invested with the strength of her many finery, the silver cones of the isni matched with the deep scratch of the wrinkles of the forehead like so many aggressive hornbills, or the young woman of Goulmima, grave and serene, whose regular face expands laterally, in the manner of the "meninas" of Velasquez, with heavy volumes of hair plated of stepped silver pendants. Once received the shock of the meeting, each of the components of such complex and flamboyant jewels raises a question. M.-R. Rabat gives us all the keys for their analysis and understanding; she had the concern to follow step by step the becoming of a jewel, from the black hole that serves as a workshop to its creator - artisan-artist - to the simple stand where it is proposed to a father in need of dower, and today to an attentive stranger. The description of proven techniques, almost extinct, such as niellage or enamelling, the listing of jewelry used in each of the delimited regions, are not the least merits of the book. Where we could see only the monotony of cleverly interwoven disks, the image restores the elegance of the silver flow that winds through one's hair.

The Berberwomen from Morocco have received wide acclaim for their rugs. They also used their amazing skills to weave traditional costumes, whose ample shapes are reminiscent of the draped garments of antiquity. Many garments, veils and capes reflect the identity of the different groups living on mountains and in valleys. They represent a way of life that is disappearing fast, as contacts with the outside world render it obsolete. Some items of clothing are decorated with designs transferred from mother to daughter, but tradition did not prevent weavers from expressing their own creativity. The book shows a wide variety of designs allowing the reader to discover masterpieces of weaving and embroidery, but also of decoration with henna, a technique only known from Morocco. This book is the first to offer a vast panorama of this exceptional heritage from the Mediterranean coast to the Sahara. Ethnologist Marie-Rose Rabaté and Frieda Sorber, an art historian and textile specialist have, between them researched Berber costume in and outside Morocco for 40 years. As women in a female environment, their invaluable experience has allowed to widen existing knowledge, to collect rare examples, to witness the changing state of textile crafts and to pinpoint the recent apparition of fakes. In and outside Morocco many collectors have shared their collections for study, to help them to define a Berber style of decoration. A wealth of objects was chosen to illustrate the texts, showing a kaleidoscope of colours and designs, including many details. They present an art that remained hidden for a long time, and that almost disappeared before it could claim its place among the world's cultures. Text in English and French.