Inyeqamo (screen)

ca. 1940

Not on view

In Rwanda and neighboring Burundi, woven basketry receptacles and architectural elements constituted a major form of artistic expression. Historically privileged Tutsi women were the major practitioners of this regional tradition of "basketry tapestries." Known as "inyeqamo," such woven screens formerly enhanced the domestic interiors of wealthy Tutsi, where they were used as mural decorations and room dividers.

This panel is divided into two vertical fields of black design on a natural golden brown background. The left side is filled with a triangular motif that is repeated in eight superimposed bands. The right side is a field of alternating rectangles that resembles a checkerboard. The juxtaposition of these two classic design schemes in a single panel enhances the liveliness of the composition.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Inyeqamo (screen)
Artist: Tutsi artist
Date: ca. 1940
Geography: Rwanda or Burundi
Culture: Tutsi peoples
Medium: Fiber
Dimensions: H. 41 x W. 26 in. (104.1 x 66 cm)
Classification: Textiles-Woven
Credit Line: Purchase, The Fred and Rita Richman Foundation Gift, 2007
Object Number: 2007.186
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

More Artwork

By Tutsi artist

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Insika (screen), Tutsi artist, Cane, reed fibers, black pigment, Tutsi peoples — Insika (screen)
Tutsi artist
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Panel, Tutsi artist, Woven grass, black reed fibers, Tutsi peoples — Panel
Tutsi artist
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Hawk and three pheasants, Savonnerie Manufactory, Wool (108 knots per sq. inch, 17 per sq. cm.), French, Paris — Hawk and three pheasants
Manufactory Savonnerie Manufactory
Designer Probably after a design by Alexandre François Desportes
1719–72

Trophies and birds, Savonnerie Manufactory, Wool (120 knots per sq. inch, 19 per sq. cm.), French, Paris — Trophies and birds
Manufactory Savonnerie Manufactory
Designer Probably after a design by Jean-Baptiste Belin de Fontenay the Elder
Designer Possibly after a design by Alexandre François Desportes
1715–50

Igiseke (prestige basket), Tutsi artist, Plant fiber, pigment, Tutsi peoples — Igiseke (prestige basket)
Tutsi artist
Early 20th century

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