FULANI ARKILA KUNTA
MALI
£375
African & Oceanic Art, Antiquities and Natural History
Auction: 5 May 2021 at 12:00 BST
Description
woollen weave, dyed using vegetal and mineral pigments, strip cloth with intricate designs in red, yellow, blue, black and natural colour, 5 strips are subdivided into horizontal bands, some solid and some featuring floating motifs
Dimensions
360cm x 163cm
Footnote
Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom
Note:
The Arkilla Kunta is a luxury item among the semi-nomadic peoples of the Sahel. Produced by male Fulani weavers using a double-heddle backstrap loom, with designs partly based on North African (Berber) traditions. Usually woven on commission only and intended for use as a tent-divider or marriage-bed curtain.
For an inferior example, please see; The British Museum, London, accession number Af2006,23.4