Headscarf

Textiles

Early 20th century

Ida ou Nadif or Ait Abdallah people
Anti-Atlas Mountains region, Morocco

The unique design on this headscarf may refer to a celestial pattern: the full and crescent moons of the lunar cycle. Dyers achieved the reddish-brown color by using henna leaves, which they made into a paste and then painted onto the woven ground. The color saturation varies, particularly within the darker shades, indicating that the dyers made multiple applications. In Morocco henna is an expensive material that is associated with the divine and with protective measures.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Textiles

Culture: Ida Ou Nadif
Title: Headscarf
Place: Morocco (Object made in:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1901–1925
Medium: Wool; plain weave, tassels tops gathered with buttonhole stitches; henna dyed
Dimensions: 206.8 × 122.2 cm (81 1/2 × 48 in.)
Credit Line: Edward E. Ayer Endowment in memory of Charles L. Hutchinson
Reference Number: 2002.267

Art Institute of Chicago, Gallery 137, Feb. 7-Aug. 15, 2019.

Fatma ben Houssein ben Ali, southern Anti Atlas Mountains, Morocco, before early/mid-1990s [this and the following according to personal communication from Ivo Grammet, May 24, 2002, in curatorial file, Arts of Africa]; by descent to her grandson, El Houssein, Morocco, early/mid-1990s; sold to Ivo Grammet, Essaouri, Morocco and Belgium, 1997; sold to the Art Institute, 2002.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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