Vintage Deco Silver Assuit Tulle-bi-telli shawl runner Start Price USD 149.99 Current Price USD 149.99 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price USD 189.99 Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, August 27, 2008 End Time Wednesday, September 03, 2008 Location St. Louis,MO See more about 'Vintage Deco Silver Assuit Tulle-bi-telli shawl runner' Description FREE SHIPPING WITH BUY IT NOW!From a St. Louis estate sale located in an older, wealthier section of St. Louis. This is a beautiful vintage Art Deco style silver threaded Assuit, or Tulle-bi-telli shawl runner in really nice shape (There are 3-5 small areas where the threads are broken on the shawl). The shawl is a light ivory color and has a great geometric design from the silver pieces woven into the fabric. The dimensions are approximately -  82" x 24". I don't have a great scale , but it appears to weigh about 14 ounces. Given that it has metal woven into it it feels incredibly soft and the weight takes you by surprise. It catches the light really well and sometimes looks golden as well as silver in color. I did not get a history on this piece other than the former owner travelled extensivelly. It was a bit hard to photograph (the colors may look a little dark due to the item being photographed against cardboard)According to the Wikepedia definition/history, Tulle-bi-telli, Assuit ,(also called Asyut, Assyut, Assiut, and other variations), is a textile marrying cotton or linen mesh with small strips of metal ( This one appears to be silver). Tulle-bi-telli translates roughly as "net with metal," but it looks much nicer than its plain name. Assuit is the city where it is made. It's located about 234 miles south of Cairo and is the largest town in Upper Egypt.Tulle-bi-telli drapes very, very well. It was used in Hollywood productions, like the lost Cecil B. DeMille opus Cleopatra. It was draped on Hedy Lamarr in Samson and Delilah. It was worn extensively as dresses in old Egyptian musicals. It was also worn draped over the head, as wraps, and as wedding gowns. And even if it wasn't being worn, it was being used to decorate. Piano shawls were extremely popular, and specimens can still be found on occasion in antique shops.Shawls come in different sizes. Most of them are long and narrow, and the designs vary. They range from the simple to the elaborate, and some people believe designs have been passed down through families, as in weaving and embroidery work. "The patterns include tents, mosques, birds, trees, stick people, stars, snowflake-like starbursts, diagonal lines, camels, god's eyes and any number of geometrics".Thin strips of metal -- copper wire, silver, pot metal, brass, chrome-plated base metals, or even 14-carat gold [12] -- are threaded onto a flat, wide needle with a flat, wide eye. Each strip is approximately 1/8" wide and 1/8" to 1/4" long. The strips are threaded into the mesh, criss-crossed, flattened with the fingernails, and cut. The fabric is then stamped down, and when the designs are finished, the fabric is passed through a roller to flatten the metal even more [13].Tulle-bi-telli is going through another resurgence, both in the Middle Eastern dance community and in the fashion world. Tulle-bi-telli is used by folkloric Middle Eastern, American Tribal Style, tribal fusion, and North American nightclub dancers.Shipping is $8.50 in the lower 48 states. ZERO feedback bidders must pay via US Postal Money Order. Thanks. Place a Bid!