The signs
The Amazigh women of the Atlas once wore tattoos on the chin, the forehead and the hands. The signs varied from one region and one family to another, and so do their readings: these are the ones our maker works with. Some pieces also carry the eight-point star of Moroccan architecture.
- The womanA figure of a woman, read as tilelli: freedom. Amazigh women of the Atlas once wore signs like it as tattoos.
- The birdThe bird that goes where it likes. Another way of writing freedom.
- Mother and husbandTwo linked signs for the mother and the husband: the family held together on one line.
- The orange amuletOrange is worn for strength, joy and optimism.
- The eight-point starThe star of zellige and carved plaster, drawn from the geometry of Islamic architecture.
The techniques
- Hand painting
- Motifs painted with a fine brush straight onto the wood, one stroke at a time.
- Sfifa braiding
- Sfifa is the fine braided trim that finishes a caftan. Here it frames the wood like a border.
- Crochet
- Cotton worked with a hook into rounds and hoops that hold the wood.
- Hand embroidery
- Letters and flowers stitched by hand on linen, framed in turned wood.
- Leather quilling
- Thin strips of leather rolled and pressed by hand between slices of driftwood.
- Wood turning
- The wood is shaped on a lathe into boxes, lids, spoons and totems.
- Carving
- Cut by hand with gouges and knives, like the scales of the pineapple box.
- Beading
- Wooden beads threaded on cord, in the colours of each piece.
- Glass painting
- The eight-point star traced and painted by hand on the candle glass.
- Engraving
- Signs engraved into the wood, so they last as long as the piece.
The woods
Wood is the first material of every piece. Its grain, rings and colour are never the same twice, which is why your piece will differ a little from the photograph.
- Cedar
Light, fragrant and fine grained, and it takes paint well. Moroccan craftsmen have worked it for centuries in doors, ceilings and boxes.
- Thuja
The wood Meknes is known for: dark, richly figured and scented. The town's craftsmen have turned and inlaid it for generations.
- Olive
Dense and streaked, with a warm grain that deepens as it ages.
- Beech
Pale, close grained and hard wearing. The workshop wood for spoons and turned pieces.
- Eucalyptus
A warm-toned wood that turns cleanly on the lathe.
- Driftwood
Branches worn smooth by water, dried and cut into slices that keep their rings and bark.
- Walnut
A deep brown hardwood with a straight grain.
- Maple
A pale, smooth hardwood that holds fine lines.
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