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Cloth (kente)
Asante
20th century, 1950–2000
Object Place: Ghana
Medium/Technique
Rayon and silk
Dimensions
Overall: 200.7 x 116.8 cm (79 x 46 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession Number2009.2730
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsContemporary Art, Africa and Oceania, Fashion and Textiles
ClassificationsTextiles
Among the most sought-after works of art from Africa-one might even call them commodities-are strip-woven kente cloths, synonymous with the Asante, Akan, Ghana, and, in the second half of the twentieth century, with being African and African-American. This singe-weave piece was made for women and is relatively small in size.
Provenance1990s, sold by an unidentified African merchant, Cambridge, MA, to Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)