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Object Details

Label Text

The composition and the design of this piece are typical of central and northern Côte d'Ivoire, according to the Lambs. They believe that it was woven by the Senufo, but it might have been woven for the Senufo by the neighboring Jula. Traditionally, the cotton threads for Jula weaving are grown, spun and dyed by the Senufo (Launay 1982, 41). Commercially made yarns, however, are often used today, as in this cloth.

The intense color was achieved by repeatedly dipping the threads in indigo dye, which is used throughout West Africa. The patterns are strictly traditional, going back to models from Bandiagara and North Africa. Unusual, however, is the grouping of complicated patterns in the center of the field. The centering of patterns in a checkerboard composition may be based on Islamic "magic squares."

Gilfoy, Peggy. 1987. Patterns of Life: West African Strip Weaving Traditions. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 61, no. 11.

Description

Wrapper composed of 9 7" strips, 2½ yds. long, with M.T. cotton black and white blocks throughout the light blanket. The central area inlay is in white and black and is a typical layout of design seen in cloths from central and northern Côte d'Ivoire.

Provenance

Venice and Alastair Lamb, England, purchased in Bouake, Côte d'Ivoire, 1972 to 1985

Exhibition History

Patterns of Life: West African Strip-Weaving Traditions, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 28, 1987-February 29, 1988

Published References

Gilfoy, Peggy. 1987. Patterns of Life: West African Strip Weaving Traditions. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 61, no. 11.

Gilfoy, Peggy Stoltz. 1992. "The Eye, the Hand, and the Stripe: North African Designs in West African Strip-Woven Textiles." History, Design, and Craft in West African Strip-Woven Cloth: Papers Presented at a Symposium Organized by the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, February 18-19, 1988. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, pp. 87, 89, no. 4.

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Data Source

National Museum of African Art

Maker

Senufo artist

Date

Before 1972

Credit Line

National Museum of African Art, National Museum of Natural History, purchased with funds provided by the Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, 1983-85, EJ10508

Medium

Cotton, indigo dye, synthetic dye

Dimensions

H x W: 243.9 x 153.9 cm (96 x 60 9/16 in.)

Type

Textile and Fiber Arts