A forehead cloth was part of women’s headwear in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It was usually worn with a coif and inventories from the period record matching coifs and forehead clothes being made and bought together. However, it is still unclear just how the forehead cloth was worn, as there are very few portraits illustrating both.
This forehead cloth is richly embroidered with precious metal threads and probably once had a matching coif. The repeating pattern of flowers, fruits and insects is typical of the naturalistic embroidery designs of the late 16th and early 17th centuries.