Wrap robe, "kente
Asante, Ghana
ohne Sockel / without base
cotton. W 190 cm. L 310 cm.
Provenance:
Gallery Walu, Basel.
The colorful kente shawls consist of up to 20 separately woven and sewn together strips. They were woven exclusively by men, but also worn by women.
As clothing, they were personal possessions and thus an outward sign of prestige, rank and belonging. Because of their value, which is calculated from the cost of materials, labor and subjective beauty, they were also used as a medium of exchange, gift and investment.
Certain colors, number of bands and motifs are reserved for certain ranks and ceremonies. The seemingly uniform geometric motifs worked into the narrow band weaves have names that can be read by initiates similar to pictograms.
Further reading:
Ross, Doran (1998). Wrapped in Pride. Los Angeles: Fowler Museum of Cultural History.
CHF 300 / 600
EUR 300 / 600
We use cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience, perform site traffic analysis, and deliver content and advertisements most relevant to your interests.
Cookie management:
By allowing these cookies, you agree to the deposit, reading and use of tracking technologies necessary for their proper functioning. Read more about our privacy policy.