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Headdress
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This long, colorful headdress would hang over the head and down a woman's back. It consists of several panels of linen sewn together, and densely embroidered with silk thread. On the middle panel, small black, red, white, yellow, and red beads are stitched to create geometric designs. Double rows of small cowrie shells outline them, and metal coins with a crescent moon motif also feature in the decoration. These are first punctured, then stitched onto the textile. The lowermost edge is finished with a red fringe.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineHeaddress, 1800s. Probably southeastern Europe, Balkans. Linen, shells, glass beads, metal coins; average: 142.2 x 33 cm (56 x 13 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade, 1916.1457