ZARAFA THE GIRAFFE antique french egyptian victorian chair bed vtg throw pillow

One of a kind throw pillow. This is a furniture-grade fabric, and we believe it dates to 1827. Missing a few tassels but hard to tell because there are so many, in the front it has 27 tassels and on the back 26. Wonderful condition with no stains or smells. Measures 13" across. On the front depicts “Zarafa and Atir', the female Nubian giraffe gifted from Muhammed Ali of Egypt to King Charles X of France in 1826. Zarafa was a female Masai giraffe, and as a baby was captured and travelled 3500 miles by boat from Sudan, with the company of three cows providing her with 25 litres of milk a day. Zarafa was one of the first giraffes seen in Europe for over 300 years, they were thought to be imaginary figures similar to unicorns and dragons. Zarafa was a sensation on her trip through France and eventual arrival in Paris, where she was received with great affection. She lived in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris for 18 years, till her death in 1845. She even influenced contemporary fashions with “coiffure a la girafe' which became fashionable in homage to her, hair was propped high on the head, like her ossicones.