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Talismanic Tunic

19th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Every inch of this protective vest is covered with leather talismanic attachments filled with Qur’anic passages and other Arabic writings. The effort invested in this state-of-the-art gear suggests it was intended to shield a warrior with extensive exposure to conflict. It is said to have been worn in battle by the chief Kinné Condetto during a conflict with the French in 1889. Belief in the power of the Qur’an’s written word was such that encasing the body with text afforded the wearer a line of mystical defense. Such talismanic shirts or tunics would have been worn directly against the skin, covered from sight by outerwear.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Talismanic Tunic
  • Date: 19th century
  • Geography: Guinea
  • Medium: Cotton, leather
  • Dimensions: H. 42 1/8 × W. 27 9/16 × D. 2 1/2 in., 239.836 oz. (107 × 70 × 6.3 cm, 6800 g)
  • Classification: Textiles-Costumes
  • Credit Line: Musée du Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac, Paris (71.1968.56.1)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing