Early Silk Nupe shawl

£2,400.00

Nineteenth century silk and cotton shawl from the Nupe people of central Nigeria.

ON HOLD

 

1 in stock

Description

AS420 – Nineteenth century silk and cotton shawl from the Nupe people of central Nigeria. Their work may be distinguished from the weaving of the Yoruba, their neighbours to the south, by the use of narrower strips 55mm in width compared to the near 100mm strip width typical of Yoruba aso oke. Three strips in which both warp and weft are magenta silk “alaari” from the trans-Saharan trade frame strips with a subtle check pattern created by narrow weft stripes of hand spun white and indigo dyed cotton, with warp stripes of magenta silk, white cotton and pale indigo dyed cotton. These rare narrow band cloths are not well documented or represented in museum collections and we have collected less than 10 examples over the years. the cloth is complete and intact but the all silk bands, as is often the case, have developed a number of mostly very small holes. We have had these patched on the reverse by a professional conservator. There is also a small discoloured area on the cloth, covering a few centimetres.

Measurements: 68 ins x 37ins, 174 cm x 94.

All items on this site are vintage. That means that they may have a few small marks or blemishes consistent with use. We will try to highlight any significant issues in the description above but in the event you are not happy with your purchase please notify us within 48 hours of receipt and you may return it for a full refund (excluding return shipping costs.)