About this artwork
The precise, tightly grouped patterns on this textile were created by binding narrow pleats of fabric and then immersing the entire cloth in indigo. The binding process for a work of this size and complexity would take months to complete. This textile was purchased in Foumban, Cameroon, by Clara Gebauer, a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, who lived in Cameroon as part of the German Baptist Mission. In the 1930s, the royal capital of Foumban was the center of an evolving art market directed at expatriates. The signature in one corner of this textile suggests that a skilled craftsperson made it within that context.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Textiles
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Culture
- Bamum
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Title
- Ndop Display Cloth
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Places
- Cameroon (Object made in), Africa (Object made in)
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Date
- 1900-1936
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Medium
- 60 panels joined: cotton, plain weave; resist-dyed indigo
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Dimensions
- 171.1 × 327 cm (67 3/8 × 128 3/4 in.)
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Credit Line
- The Art Institute of Chicago, Department of African and Amerindian Curator's Discretionary and Louise A. Lutz Estate funds
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Reference Number
- 2010.4
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
