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Kerchief (tensifa)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This beautiful kerchief, worn wrapped around the head, was part of elegant bathing equipment that well-to-do women wore while relaxing in a hammam after bathing. The floral and foliate embroidery reflect a fashion that lasted for more than a century. This example is dominated by lavish, radiating gold and silver thread.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineKerchief (tensifa), 1700–1899. Africa, North Africa, Algeria, Algerian embroiderer. Linen, silk, gold, silver, dye; overall: 241.9 x 39.4 cm (95 1/4 x 15 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of J. H. Wade, 1916.1238
