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Source Description
This panel was part of an urban Tunisian woman’s head-covering (<em>‘ajar</em>). 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 in teal is likely the name of the weaver or panel owner. Weavers with Muslim Andalusian (southern Spanish) heritage originally made these, drawing from Andalusian and Turkish motifs; later, workshops in Tunis produced them.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
130598
label
Panel from a Head Covering (‘Ajar)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
130598
contentType
object
title
Panel from a Head Covering (‘Ajar)
description
This panel was part of an urban Tunisian woman’s head-covering (<em>‘ajar</em>). 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 in teal is likely the name of the weaver or panel owner. Weavers with Muslim Andalusian (southern Spanish) heritage originally made these, drawing from Andalusian and Turkish motifs; later, workshops in Tunis produced them.
date
probably 1800s or early 1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79912524
genreSpecific
Textile
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 117.2 x 53.4 cm (46 1/8 x 21 in.)
cul
Africa, North Africa, Tunisia, probably Testour or Tunis, Tunisian weaver
accession
1953.32
Source extras
tec
Silk, metal, dye
tombstone
Panel from a Head Covering (‘Ajar), probably 1800s or early 1900s. Africa, North Africa, Tunisia, probably Testour or Tunis, Tunisian weaver. Silk, metal, dye; overall: 117.2 x 53.4 cm (46 1/8 x 21 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1953.320
collection
T - Islamic
didYouKnow
The <em>khamsah</em> (خمسة), an open five-fingered hand, is a protective motif. It is woven in red in multiple ways on this panel.
citations
citation
Chakerian, Peter. “'Maghreb' sews artistic traditions of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.” <em>The Plain Dealer</em> (Friday, November 1, 2024): D1, D5.
citation
Gebremedhen, Helina. “Arts of the Maghreb: North African Textiles and Jewelry – Curatorial Reflections.” <em>Journal 18</em>, Issue #19 (Spring 2025).
citation
Gillow, John. <em>African Textiles: Colour and Creativity Across a Continent.</em> London: Thames & Hudson, 2003.
page_number
p. 232
citation
Windmuller-Luna, Kristen. "Textile stories from North Africa." <em>HALI </em>224 (Summer 2025): 54-61.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 57, fig. 6
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:45:18.968000
sourceId
130598
dept
Textiles
coll
T - Islamic
med
Silk, metal, dye
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
73acf3abf8e71c03