Boubous tilbi – embroidered robes from Mali

“Boubou tilbi form the most noble, and at the same time the most autonomous, artisanal tradition, in the two ancient cities of Mali, Jenne and Timbuktu, centres of commerce and of culture. Boubous tilbi were made from white cotton, on which can be distinguished very fine and complicated ecru silk embroidery, the silk for which was imported. ….boubous tilbi were a symbol of luxury and wealth. An embroidered robe represented almost three years of work, sometimes more.” Bernhard Gardi Le boubous c’est chic (Editions Christoph Merian, 2000:96) my translation.

Click on the images to enlarge. The robe is in the British Museum, Af1966,01.3, photo courtesy Trustees of the British Museum. Vintage postcards, early C20th, author’s collection.

For more on boubous tilbi see Bernhard Gardi Le boubous c’est chic (Editions Christoph Merian, 2000) and Victoria Rovine Continuity, Innovation, Fashion – Three genres of Malian embroidery, in African Arts 44(3) Autumn 2011.

Bazin de Bamako – at the International Festival of Extraordinary Textiles, Clermont-Ferrand

Organized by author/filmmaker Patricia Gérimont, the Malian dyer Sanata Magassa presented her remarkable fabrics at the recent festival, accompanied by an exhibition at the musée Bargoin. The dresses in some images are from a workshop at Louvain la Neuve, styled by Issa Tio. All phot0s by Patricia Gérimont, please do not reproduce without permission.

Toile de la vie–Tissus d’Afrique de l’Ouest: new exhibition in Quebec.

Minimal Four–another Bondoukou men’s cloth

In this series of posts I will highlight some rare West African textiles where the elaboration and complexity of design that usually typifies high status textiles is replaced by a more minimal aesthetic….

fr505 - Superb man's cloth from the Bondoukou region with very unusual and subtle minimal design. On a neat hand spun indigo dyed cotton ground the weaver has carefully aligned rows of narrow diamond shaped supplementary weft float patterns. On the second to last row from the bottom of the cloth the colours are reversed. In excellent condition. Dates from early C20th. Measurements: 110ins x 76ins, 280cm x 193cm.

Click on the images to enlarge.

For more information please visit our gallery of Ivory Coast textiles here

Minimal Three – Bondoukou man’s cloth

In this series of posts I will highlight some rare West African textiles where the elaboration and complexity of design that usually typifies high status textiles is replaced by a more minimal aesthetic….

FR527 - Unusual man's cloth from the Bondoukou region of northern Ivory Coast with a simple but graphically strong design of blocks of blue and yellow wefts on a background of white and blue hand spun cotton. This is the only white ground men's cloth I have seen, although we have collected several smaller white women's cloths. In excellent complete condition, dates from circa 1930-50. Measurements: 100ins x 66ins, 255cm x 169cm.

Click on the images to enlarge.

For more information please visit our gallery of Ivory Coast textiles here

Minimal Two – more Ewe “kente”

In this series of posts I will highlight some rare West African textiles where the elaboration and complexity of design that usually typifies high status textiles is replaced by a more minimal aesthetic….

Ewe659 - Superb example of a rare wide band weft faced style of Ewe chief’s cloth in exceptional condition. Dates from the late C19th or early C20th. This type of Ewe weaving is completely unresearched, although Venice Lamb does illustrate a possibly related piece with a more simple design (1975:186) she saw in Kpotoe but suggests may have been imported from the North. In my view however these cloths are clearly the work of weavers in eastern Ghana or Togo and form just one of a number of apparently anomalous cloth traditions from the eastern and northern periphery of the Ewe speaking area. I have collected a number of small women's cloths in similar styles, and seen several men's cloths that were too stained and damaged to purchase, but this is the only complete men's cloth in the style that I have seen. Hand spun local white and indigo dyed cotton in two shades in combined with imported red and mustard yellow cotton thread. Condition: The cloth is complete and intact, with its original hand stitching and no stains and holes. Size: 115 ins x 52, 292cm x 131.

Click on the images to enlarge.

For more information please visit our gallery of Ewe textiles here

Minimal One –Ewe “kente”

In this series of posts I will highlight some rare West African textiles where the elaboration and complexity of design that usually typifies high status textiles is replaced by a more minimal aesthetic….

Ewe660 - Exceptional nineteenth century Ewe chief’s cloth in a style called "titriku" meaning just "thick cloth." Red cotton thread purchased from European traders on the coast was highly prized by the Ewe and quickly incorporated in their design repertoire. Here it is combined with local hand spun indigo dyed and white cotton, which is an indicator of an early date - 99.9% of Ewe cloths collected use only imported thread. Although the red has faded over the years we can still note that several different shades were used giving a subtle visual variation. Note also that only one out of the hundreds of red squares has a white stripe across. Condition - has some patched repairs. Size: 115 ins x 74, 292cm x 189.

Click on the images to enlarge.

For more information please visit our gallery of Ewe textiles here

Two beautiful images by Pierre Verger

Conakry,Guinée,1948,1958

Burkina Faso.