Cloak, burnous
- Accession Loan No.
- 118/1961/27
- Collection Class
- Clothing and accessories
- Common Name
- cloak, burnous
- Simple Name
- cloak
- Full Name
- burnous
- Period Classification
- Victorian (1837-1901)
- Production Year Low
- 1850
- Production Year High
- 1900
- Family Group
- Material
- wool (hand embroidered); silk (thread and tassels)
There are 5 comments
We have something like this in Saudi Arabia. Sometimes it would come to below the knee, sometimes above. It would be called a mishlah or a degula.
(Looking at the lettering on the burnous) This is the letter alif, A, the first letter. [The centre stroke is an accent of ascending sound, which would not be used to write the word “Allah”.]
This is shaped to fit over a bustle. It’s from about 1870. It would be interesting to know what the Arabic script is on it.
These sort of things from North Africa were on show at the Great Exhibition [of 1851] so it started a craze.
It looks handmade for a wedding…. I’ve never seen this style in my country. We have shawls, but not with all the embroidery. If I saw it in a shop, I wouldn’t buy it because I wouldn’t be sure how to wear it, although it’s very pretty…. I’m not sure it’s a comfortable style.