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Boubou Tilbi

Not on view

Known as tilbi, this genre of boubou is identified by the white or light blue cotton ground onto which intricate motifs are painstakingly embroidered with imported beige silk thread. Worn only by the elite of Jenne and Timbuktu, the tilbi, with its delicate stitching and complex patterns, was a symbol of wealth and luxury.

Boubou Tilbi, Cotton, silk

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© Musée du Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY