Kerchief (tensifa) (1700–1899): Art, History and Details

Kerchief (tensifa) (1700–1899) 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 lavish, radiating gold and silver thread.

Object facts

• Title: Kerchief (tensifa)
• Date: 1700–1899
• Culture: Africa, North Africa, Algeria, Algerian embroiderer
• Type: Embroidery
• Technique: Linen, silk, gold, silver, dye
• Dimensions: Overall: 241.9 x 39.4 cm (95 1/4 x 15 1/2 in.)
• Collection: T - Islamic
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1916.1238

A detail from the museum

Tiny traces of graphite on this textile show us how the artist carefully outlined the design to be embroidered.

Collection credit

Gift of J. H. Wade

Further reading listed by the museum

• Victoria and Albert Museum, and A. J. B. Wace. Catalogue of Algerian Embroideries. London: Published under the authority of the Board of Education, 1935.

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.