Blanket
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.By comparing terms for weaving and other textile-related concepts across different regional languages, specialist Renée Boser-Sarivaxévanis suggests that weaving likely disseminated from central Mali across West Africa. Fulani and Dogon weavers continue to produce fabrics in the form of blankets that are related to those found in archaeological contexts. An indicator of an elder’s prestigious standing in life, such fabrics were so treasured by their owners that they sometimes ultimately served as burial shrouds.
Artwork Details
- Title: Blanket
- Date: 19th–early 20th century
- Geography: Mali
- Medium: Cotton, indigo
- Dimensions: W. 32 × L. 49 in. (81.3 × 124.5 cm)
- Classification: Textiles
- Credit Line: Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen, Netherlands
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing