Adinkra wrapper
Adinkra wrapper

On view

African Art

Adinkra wrapper,

early 20th century

Artist unrecorded
Asante
2019-126
Colorful serrated whipstitching called kawo (how the millipede walks) binds each of the five imported cotton panels of this adinkra wrapper. Stamped concentric circles, a motif known as adinkrahene, cover the entire surface. Abstract adinkra symbols recur across Asante culture and often refer to proverbs, folk tales, or popular sayings. Interpretation of their meaning relies on one’s existing wisdom and cultural knowledge. The light and brightly colored design of this garment suggests it is a kwasiada (Sunday) wrapper, worn for celebrations, while darker colored cloths were reserved for funerals and mourning.

Information

Title
Adinkra wrapper
Dates

early 20th century

Maker
Artist unrecorded
Medium
Cotton, probably silk, and dye
Dimensions
210 × 311 cm (82 11/16 × 122 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Hugh Leander Adams, Mary Trumbull Adams and Hugh Trumbull Adams Princeton Art Fund and anonymous gift
Object Number
2019-126
Place Made

Africa, Ghana

Culture
African, Asante
Type
textiles, wrappers (garments)
Materials
silk (textile), dye, cotton (textile)
Techniques
weaving
Subject
proverbs, geometric patterns, iconography, symbols, prestige

[Private collection, Accra, Ghana, by 2019]; [purchased by Adire African Textiles, London, UK, March 2019]; purchased by the Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ, May 2019.

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