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Robe (Boubou Lomasa)

A work made of handspun cotton, indigo dye; polychrome silk and cotton; strip weave, hand embroidery.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of handspun cotton, indigo dye; polychrome silk and cotton; strip weave, hand embroidery.

Date:

Late 19th century

Artist:

Soninke
Possibly Senegal or Mali
Northern Africa and the Sahel

About this artwork

This type of robe was worn by chiefs, dignitaries, emirs, and other high-ranking men in 19th-century West Africa. It marked the wearer’s standing and prestige, and also identified him as a Muslim. The talismanic motifs were typically designed and stitched by Qur’anic scholars who found inspiration in Arabic texts. Soninke women no longer practice these embroidery styles and indigo-dyeing techniques, which impacted the weaving traditions of a vast region north and south of the Sahara.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Soninke

Title

Robe (Boubou Lomasa)

Place

Senegal (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1875–1900

Medium

Handspun cotton, indigo dye; polychrome silk and cotton; strip weave, hand embroidery

Dimensions

124.5 × 194.3 cm (49 × 76 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

The Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Africa and the Americas Curatorial Discretionary and Vedder Price Kaufmann & Kammholtz Endowment funds

Reference Number

2019.717

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/248700/manifest.json

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.

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