Cloth (aso oke)

mid-20th century

A fashionable Yoruba would wear several cloths with this pattern. Deep indigo blue is a standard choice, but other color selections vary by the season. For many generations, such cloths were handwoven with endless variation in bold accents. In this cloth, a rigid regularity is the sign of a commercial weave that imitates the handwoven with a grid that's exceedingly precise.

Cotton; strip-woven; supplementary weft; commercial dyes

41 1/4 in. (104.7 cm)

L.: 60 1/4 in.

Gift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company

81.17.319

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, African Panoplies: Art for Rulers, Traders, Hunters, and Priests, Apr. 21 - Aug. 14, 1988.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Order and Border, Feb. 26, 2010 - Aug. 28, 2011.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Mood Indigo: Textiles from Around the World, Apr. 9 - Oct. 9, 2016.

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