Man's Prestige Cloth

Baule peoples

Not on view

Textile arts in Côte d’Ivoire reflect a rich blend of regional practices and cross-cultural exchange. Handwoven prestige men’s wrappers were worn on special occasions, including the reception of official visitors. Precise yet subtle weft patterning is enhanced by tie-dyeing the garment a rich indigo. While such cloths have come to be associated with Baule weaving and dyeing traditions, historians have established that Baule dyers adopted tie-dyeing during the 1950s and 1960s as a consequence of the Dyula presence in the Baule region. Among other formal characteristics borrowed from the Dyula is the thin red border defining the lower end of the cloth.

Man's Prestige Cloth, Cotton, Baule peoples

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.