Collection record · Dress & textiles
Man's Garment
The collection record classifies this work as textile. It is dated possibly early 1900s. Recorded culture or place: Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Dida-style weavers and dyers.
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A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Man's Garment
- Date
- possibly early 1900s
- Culture / origin
- Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Dida-style weavers and dyers
- Materials and technique
- Raffia palm fiber (Raphia ruffia or R. vinifera) and dye
- Dimensions
- Overall: 169.8 x 211.5 cm (66 7/8 x 83 1/4 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 2003.89
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
Displayed flat to highlight its designs and preserve its delicate fibers, this wrapper was meant to drape around the body. An elite man wore it with one corner over a shoulder, the knotted fringe skimming his ankles. The garment gained its earth-toned geometric patterns through plangi, a knot-and-twist resist dyeing technique; each color is applied in a different dye bath, from lightest to darkest. While their patterns are unique, these garments reflect regional influence: Dida women likely learned hand interlacing from Liberian Kpelle weavers. Such garments were given as gifts or worn on special occasions, at least into the 1990s.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · John L. Severance Fund · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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