Headkerchief (tensifa) (1700s): Art, History and Details

Headkerchief (tensifa) (1700s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the 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 brilliant crimson and blue silk stitches.

Object facts

• Title: Headkerchief (tensifa)
• Date: 1700s
• Culture: Africa, North Africa, Algeria, Algerian embroiderer
• Type: Embroidery
• Technique: Linen, silk, gold, silver, dye
• Dimensions: Overall: 260.4 x 40.6 cm (102 1/2 x 16 in.)
• Collection: T - Islamic
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1916.1237

A detail from the museum

This textile was displayed in the CMA’s first exhibition in 1916. While it is from North Africa, it was displayed in the "Nearer East" gallery.

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade

Further reading listed by the museum

• Inaugural Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (co-organizer) (June 6-September 20, 1916)
• Victoria and Albert Museum, and A. J. B. Wace. Catalogue of Algerian Embroideries. London: Published under the authority of the Board of Education, 1935.
• Windmuller-Luna, Kristen. "Textile stories from North Africa." HALI 224 (Summer 2025): 54-61.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.