Description
In contrast with the silver head ornaments of the Imazighen peoples of Algeria and Morocco on display nearby, those of the Tekna and other Hassaniya-speaking peoples are made of finely knotted and twisted horsehair or synthetic hair that is decorated with beads in a variety of materials—ebony, silver, coral, glass, and shell— and semiprecious stones. Such ornaments blend into the hairlike wigs of those who wear them.
Provenance
Unnamed dealer, Tiznit, Morocco, before 2009; sold to Ivo Grammet, Essaouira, Morocco, before 2009 [purchased in Guelmim, Morocco, documentation in curatorial file]; sold to the Art Institute, 2009.
Accession Number
201819
Medium
Nylon and polypropylene hair, amber, coral, shell, silver, carnelian, and glass beads
Dimensions
62.3 × 26.7 × 19.1 cm (24 1/2 × 10 1/2 × 7 1/2 in.)
Classification
headdress - misc
Credit Line
Alsdorf Foundation - James and Marilynn Alsdorf Acquisition Fund