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Kerchief (Tensifa)

1700–1899
embroidery: silk, gold, and silver on linen
Overall: 241.9 x 39.4 cm (95 1/4 x 15 1/2 in.)
Gift of J. H. Wade 1916.1238
Location: not on view
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Did You Know?

This textile was exhibited in CMA's first-ever exhibition in 1916. While it is from North Africa, it was displayed in the "Nearer East" room.

Description

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.
Kerchief (Tensifa)

Kerchief (Tensifa)

1700–1899

Algeria, 18th-19th century

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