Qabqabs (Bath Clogs) (Late 19th century or early 20th century): Artwork and History

Qabqabs (Bath Clogs) (Late 19th century or early 20th century) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Republic of Türkiye.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

Both men and women wore qabqabs (bath clogs) in hammams (public baths) throughout North Africa, the Mediterranean, and southwestern Asia. These raised wooden clogs elevated the wearer’s feet above the wet, soapy floors. The name "qabqab" derives from the clomping sound they make when walking on stone floors. Qabqabs for wealthy women were often elaborate, sometimes reaching stilt-like heights, three or four times as tall as this example. The use of materials like gold, silver, precious stones, mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, and embroidered straps reflected the owner’s wealth and social standing. The higher the clogs, the more likely the wearer would need assistance from attendants to walk, further emphasizing their elite status.

Object facts

• Title: Qabqabs (Bath Clogs)
• Date: Late 19th century or early 20th century
• Artist attribution: Republic of Türkiye
• Place of origin: Turkey
• Medium: Wood inlaid with pearl; leather; wrapped metal-strip thread wrapped around a paper card form, purl, metal-wrapped thread embroidery on a cotton twill weave ground
• Type: Costume and Accessories
• Department: Textiles
• Reference number: 1930.370a-b

Collection credit

Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Potter Palmer II

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The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.