Towel

Unknown

19th century · Linen; embroidered in silk, metal wrapped thread, and tinsel · Islamic Art

Part health club, part community center, hammams are not only places to get clean, they are also places of significant social interaction. Social standing could be conveyed through the clothing and adornments worn in the hammam. A number of surviving Ottoman-period towels show that bath accessories, too, relayed subtle messages about the owner’s wealth. Intricate embroidery, sometimes in precious metal threads, conspicuously displayed the status of a bather’s family.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

Linen; embroidered in silk, metal wrapped thread, and tinsel

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Bequest of Richard B. Seager, 1926