Tassel
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Tassel2.svg/220px-Tassel2.svg.png)
A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric and clothing decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe.
History and use
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Orna118-Quasten.png/220px-Orna118-Quasten.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Tester_bed_%28lit_%C3%A0_la_duchesse_en_imp%C3%A9riale%29_MET_DP155162.jpg/220px-Tester_bed_%28lit_%C3%A0_la_duchesse_en_imp%C3%A9riale%29_MET_DP155162.jpg)
In the Hebrew Bible, the Lord spoke to Moses instructing him to tell the Israelites to make tassels (Hebrew tzitzit) on the corners of their garments, to help them to remember all the commandments of the Lord and to keep them (Numbers 15:37-40), and as a sign of holiness. The religious Hebrew tassel, however, bears little resemblance to the decorative one which appeared and eventually became popular in Europe, especially France and Spain.
In the West, tassels were originally a series of windings of thread or string around a suspending string until the desired curvature was attained. Later, turned wooden moulds, which were either covered in simple wrappings or much more elaborate coverings called satinings, were used. This involved an intricate binding of bands of filament silk vertically around the mould by means of an internal "lacing" in the bore of the mould. During the Middle Ages tassels were widely used in Spain as ornamentation for horses, called borla from the Latin term burrula which means "wool of little value".
These constructions were varied and augmented with extensive ornamentations that were each assigned an idiosyncratic term by their French creators. In sixteenth-century France these individuals were called passementiers, and an apprenticeship of seven years was required to become a master in one of the subdivisions of the guild. The French widely exported their very artistic work, and at such low prices that no other European nation developed a mature "trimmings" industry. Many of the passementiers, however, were among the Protestant Huguenots who fled France in the 1600s to escape persecution, taking their tools and skills with them.[1] Tassels and their associated forms changed style throughout the years, from the small and casual of Renaissance designs (see example), through the medium sizes and more staid designs of the
Tassels (also called tufts) were traditionally worn by
In the Middle East, tassels were worn as talismans, especially on headwear. In Egypt, Mesopotamia, and throughout the Arab world tassels were worn by children on hoods or caps to protect them from malevolent spirits and ward off demons.[4]
Ceremonial wear
In the U.S., tassels, or
Structure
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Tassel_making.jpg/220px-Tassel_making.jpg)
A basic key tassel is made by binding or otherwise gathering
. Tassels, pompons and rosettes are point ornaments; the others are linear ornaments.See also
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ISBN 978-1-136-78758-4.
- ^ "Oxford Today - Student of Oxford". www.oxfordtoday.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "The Chancellor - University of Oxford". Ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2008-05-04. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
- ^ Jenkins, Jessica Kerwin, The Encyclopedia of the Exquisite, Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, p. 213
- Guide to Passementerie. Scalamandre Silks. New York.
- Boudet, Pierre and Bernard Gomon, La Passementerie, Dessain et Tolra, 1981. ISBN 978-2-249-25108-5.
- Pegler, Martin, The Dictionary of Interior Design, Fairchild Publications, 1983. ASIN B0006ECV48.
External links
- Pictures of Tassels on the wikimedia commons