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Blanket

19th–early 20th century

Not on view

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.

Blanket, Cotton, indigo — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

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

The Met

The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at The Met

The Met's collection of art of the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, and North, Central, and South America comprises more than eleven thousand works of art of varied materials and types, representing diverse cultural traditions from as early as 3000 B.C.E. to the present.