Wrapper
This rectangular wrapper has been hand-woven on the traditional Igbo Akwete woman’s vertical loom with machine spun cotton yarns and Lurex. As is usual on Akwete cloths, the design motifs in this example are created by a supplementary weft structure on a warp-face plain-weave ground. The composition includes a black and white checkerboard ground with recurring motifs. Umbrella, crown, star, and a diamond (diasper) pattern are woven into the textile in repeating rows of six across the width of the textile. The checkerboard alternates between squares with bold thick black and white stripes and a finer pattern of thinner stripes. The effect appears from a distance as two shades of gray. The black and white threads are interspersed with silver Lurex®, giving the work a shimmering quality.
This work represents a classic textile genre designed, woven, and worn by Igbo women in one of Nigeria's premier centers for textile weaving. Textiles are one of the preeminent forms of visual expression in sub-Saharan Africa, and Akwete weavers have had an important impact on the region at large. Their frequently elaborate and complex supplementary weft-float patterns are of particular interest for their variety, incorporating abstract geometric and figurative motifs.
This work represents a classic textile genre designed, woven, and worn by Igbo women in one of Nigeria's premier centers for textile weaving. Textiles are one of the preeminent forms of visual expression in sub-Saharan Africa, and Akwete weavers have had an important impact on the region at large. Their frequently elaborate and complex supplementary weft-float patterns are of particular interest for their variety, incorporating abstract geometric and figurative motifs.
Artwork Details
- Title: Wrapper
- Artist: Women's weaving cooperative in Akwete (Nigerian)
- Artist: Ndoki-Igbo artist
- Date: early 1990s
- Geography: Nigeria
- Culture: Igbo peoples
- Medium: Cotton, Lurex, dye
- Dimensions: L. 85 1/2 x W. 50 in. (217.2 x 127 cm )
- Classification: Textiles-Woven
- Credit Line: Gift of Robert and Anita LaGamma, 2002
- Object Number: 2002.619
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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Women's weaving cooperative in Akwete
Ndoki-Igbo artist
early 1990s
Women's weaving cooperative in Akwete
early 1990s
Women's weaving cooperative in Akwete
Ndoki-Igbo artist
early 1990s
Women's weaving cooperative in Akwete
Ndoki-Igbo artist
early 1990s
Women's weaving cooperative in Akwete
Ndoki-Igbo artist
early 1990s
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