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.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Arts of Africa
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Culture
- Soninke
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Title
- Robe (Boubou Lomasa)
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Place
- Senegal (Object made in)
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Date
- 1875–1900
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Medium
- Handspun cotton, indigo dye; polychrome silk and cotton; strip weave, hand embroidery
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Dimensions
- 124.5 × 194.3 cm (49 × 76 1/2 in.)
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Credit Line
- The Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Africa and the Americas Curatorial Discretionary and Vedder Price Kaufmann & Kammholtz Endowment funds
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Reference Number
- 2019.717
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/248700/manifest.json