Panel from a Head Covering (‘Ajar)
Unknown Artist
probably 1800s or early 1900s
Medium
Silk, metal, dye
Dimensions
117.2 × 53.4 cm
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1953.320
About this artwork
This panel was part of an urban Tunisian woman’s head-covering (‘ajar). Two such panels flanked a face-obscuring black panel. Such luxurious garments of seclusion were once reserved for elites. The decorative panels draped down when worn, showing off the finely woven motifs and demonstrating the wearer’s family wealth. Arranged in bands, motifs include stylized trees (or protective hands), flowers, eight-pointed stars, and geometric designs. The mirrored Kufic (squared Arabic script) lettering i...