Skip to main content
Advanced Search
Tunic with wide sleeves made of commercial cotton sheeting, with machine stitching; hand embroidered collar using red and tan thread against dark blue cloth, red ribbon trim on collar and waist level; resist dyed linear motifs in white against indigo, geometric patterns and 8 crocodiles or lizards on front, symmetrical design.
Man's Tunic
Courtesy of the Harn Museum of Art, Photography by Randy Batista

Man's Tunic

Maker Bamileke Artist
Date20th century
Place of originCameroon
MediumCotton, indigo dye, synthetic dyes
Dimensions45 1/2 in. x 8 ft. 1 in. (115.6 x 246.4 cm)
ClassificationsClothing and accessories
Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds from The Caroline Julier and James G. Richardson Acquisition Fund
Object number2009.9.3
Collections
Visual DescriptionTunic with wide sleeves made of commercial cotton sheeting, with machine stitching; hand embroidered collar using red and tan thread against dark blue cloth, red ribbon trim on collar and waist level; resist dyed linear motifs in white against indigo, geometric patterns and 8 crocodiles or lizards on front, symmetrical design.
Tunic with wide sleeves constructed from narrow handwoven strips, made of hand-spun cotton; alternating alizarin, dark blue and white stripes, indigo and white ikat stripes; tan thread used for 11 embroidered "knot" motifs on center of front; also embroidered on back, top; pale blue commercial cotton cloth lining.
Man's Tunic (dansiki or gbariye dandogo)
Nupe Artist
20th century
Coarse hand-woven strips, stitch-resist dyed with indigo, hand-sewn at selvedges, hem of red and black factory cloth with orange rickrack edging, machine stitched in woven cloth.
Prestige cloth (ndop, ktiesia or ntieya)
Bamileke Artist
20th century
Blue handwoven cotton cloth, hand stitched, wide waist with narrow legs. Hand embroidery of geometric and arabesque motifs in orange, green, burgundy, and white wool thread; waistband lined with light blue commercial cotton sheeting.
Man's Ceremonial Trousers (wando)
Hausa Artist
20th century
Tunic is black cotton damask (bazin) embroidered with multi-colored thread (red, blue, gold) in central diagonal parallel bands across front, embellished with alternating bands of beadworK (red, pink, green, white, yellow); Large bell sleeves, scoop neck. Skirt is same black dyed bazin as tunic, with a single stripe of embroidery in red, blue and gold thread. Red embroidered trim on neck and sleeves. Beaded headband has diamond pattern similar to those on tunic.
Woman's Tunic and Wrap Skirt
2010
Striped commercial cloth with stenciled geometric patterns of blue, red and white.
Woman’s wrapper
Yoruba Artist
1973
Tie dyed cloth with machine stitching irregular light blue and white circles in rows on indigo background.
Tie Dyled cloth (adire)
Yoruba Artist
c. 1987
Untailored garment, rectangle with open slit for neck, pocket sewn onto chest area.
Man's tunic
Lega Artist
20th century
White and blue striped tunic with open neck, wide sleeves and pleats made of handspun and handwoven narrow strips; lined with sacking material
Man's Tunic
Dagomba Artist
20th century
Handspun cotton, handwoven into strips, sewn on selvedges, resist dyed with indigo dye; allover pattern of small white triangles
Scarf
Aboubakar Fofana
20th century
handwoven narrow strips of cotton, commercial cotton warp (?) handstitched together, weft-faced squares, polychrome (white, black, red, blue, lavender, pale green, blue yellow) form stepped diamond pattern, woven inserts in center of some squares
Tent Liner or Wall Hanging (tapis)
Bamana Artist
20th century
Resist dyed damask, with burgundy field, small orange and white tie-dyed areas made by thread resist; central pattern has small tie-dyed shapes configured in concentric squares
Cloth (bazin)
Malian Artist
20th century
Sandy/light beige commercial cotton background with six panels with a band of embroidered threads in burgundy, black, yellow, blue, grey and green between each panel and this holds the panels together; w/black stamped Adinkra patterns done in squares which are outlined in five black lines framing these squares including: spider (ananse), unity (obi nka obie), fern (aya), spiritual cleanliness (musuyidie), circular house (fihankra), and rams' horns and other patterns.
Adinkra Cloth
Akan Artist
late 20th century

Collections research is ongoing. Information provided on the Harn’s website about collection objects may be updated, revised, or enhanced at any time.

Harn
Copyright © Harn
null