Collection online

garment

• Object type

  • garment

• Museum number

  Af2004,04.1

• Description

  Man's wrap-around garment made of silk, composed of 24 narrow strips joined at the selvedges by hand-sewn overcast stitch. Each strip has a plain weave warp pattern of broad gold and green stripes between red bands separated by narrow black and white stripes. Pattern bands are aligned horizontally across the cloth. Every block of plain weave is filled either with weft-faced solid colour bands or supplementary weft patterns. Unworked warp threads form fringes at both ends.

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• Ethnic name

  • Made by Asante

• Date

  • 19thC(late)-20thC(early)

• Production place

  • Made in: Ghana
  • (Africa,Ghana)

• Findspot

  • Found/Acquired: Ghana
  • (Africa,Ghana)

• Materials

  • silk

• Technique

  • supplementary weft
  • plain weave

• Dimensions

  • Length: 296 centimetres (including fringes)
  • Width: 198 centimetres

• Curator's comments

  Traditionally silk textiles were woven on commission from members of the court or chiefly elite among the Asante. This cloth is an example of a particular design of cloth known as 'adwineasa' ('fullness of ornament'); these textiles had weft designs inserted into every block of plain weave and demonstrated the weaver's technical mastery as well as symbolising the owner's wealth and prestige.

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• Bibliography

  • Ross 1998
  • Picton & Mack 1989
  • Lamb 1975

• Location

  On display: G25/dc10

• Condition

  Good; stitching on seams loose or missing in places. Small holes along one side.

• Acquisition name

  • In Honour of: Dr B John Mack
  • Purchased through: Dr Duncan Clarke
  • Donated by: Antony Griffiths

• Acquisition date

  2004

• Acquisition notes

  Donated to the Museum as a tribute to John Mack (Keeper of Ethnography from 1990-2004). The cloth was initially purchased by the donor from textile dealer Duncan Clarke in 2004.

• Department

  Africa, Oceania & the Americas

• Registration number

  Af2004,04.1