Ikat Wrapper (Baule)
Ikat Wrapper (n.d.)
cotton, dye
300.0 x 166.0 cm
Gift of Monni (M.J.) Adams
2001-4-3
This is a Baule man's wrapper constructed from sixteen strips of white and indigo blue warp ikat cloth. Each strip is woven from threads that are tie-dyed before weaving occurs. In the process, white warp threads are tied and dip dyed in indigo dye. These threads can be solid indigo or can have patterns dyed into them. The Baule then use the threads as warp threads in their weaving. You can learn more about ikat dyeing and weaving on this post from the craft atlas. In this piece, the woven cloth strips have been sown together to create a wide piece of cloth that functioned as a garment. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art:
We can see that same thin red border in this piece in our care. Another example of a man's ikat wrapper with that red border appears in the Met's collections."Textile arts in Côte d’Ivoire reflect a rich blend of regional practices and cross-cultural exchange. Handwoven prestige men’s wrappers were worn on special occasions, including the reception of official visitors. Precise yet subtle weft patterning is enhanced by tie-dyeing the garment a rich indigo. While such cloths have come to be associated with Baule weaving and dyeing traditions, historians have established that Baule dyers adopted tie-dyeing during the 1950s and 1960s as a consequence of the Dyula presence in the Baule region. Among other formal characteristics borrowed from the Dyula is the thin red border defining the lower end of the cloth."
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- Clothing - Wearable Art Jessica Nelson
- Decorative Techniques from Around the World Jessica Nelson