V&A
Embroidered Red Velvet Palestinian Taqsireh Jacket
Great Depression · 1920s-1930s · Palestinian
Production
handmade
Material
silk velvet
Culture
Palestinian
Influences
Ottoman court dress · Levantine embroidery traditions
This traditional Palestinian taqsireh jacket features a short, cropped silhouette with three-quarter sleeves and an open front closure. The deep red silk velvet base is densely embroidered with tahriri couching technique, creating raised metallic gold threadwork in elaborate floral and geometric patterns. The embroidery covers the entire surface in organized motifs including stylized flowers, leaves, and scrolling vines. Gold braided trim edges the front opening, sleeves, and hemline. The jacket's structured construction maintains its shape while allowing for layering over other garments, typical of Palestinian festive dress traditions.
jacketregular fitcollarlesship length
Connected To
Influences·Levantine embroidery traditionsTechnique·hand-embroideryFunction·festival-celebration
SHARED35 years · cross-category
Echoes Across Time
Great Depression → 1970s · 35yr74%
SHARED
These two garments trace the evolution of Palestinian tatreez embroidery from intimate to expansive expression. The 1930s taqsireh jacket concentrates its silk thread florals into a compact, almost jewel-box format—every inch of that red velvet surface dense with pattern, the kind of meticulous work that marked special occasion dress in village communities.
Influences·Levantine embroidery traditionsTechnique·hand-embroideryFunction·festival-celebration
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