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The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End
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Display Cloth (detail)
Gambia, first half of the 19th century
Cotton, indigo dye; Warp 10 ft. 3 5/8 in. (314 cm), weft 69 1/4 in. (176 cm)
The British Museum, London (Af.2796)
Provenance: Collected by Henry Christy; his bequest to The British Museum, 1865
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This masterpiece of the art of tie-dye was among the earliest African textiles to enter The British Museum and the oldest example of this art form to have been preserved. To produce this dynamic appearance of a cosmic explosion in varying intensities of blue against the original white field, the cloth was crumpled and loosely bound before being immersed in indigo. Although the design may appear to be the result of a casual experiment, a high degree of control is necessary to achieve the even overall tonality of the dye and almost regular repetition of pattern. The impression of spontaneity and expansive freedom expressed by the indigo clouds obscures the underlying narrow band construction of the fabric panel.
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