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Cloth Strip in the Oyokoman Adweneasa ("Royal Clan"/"My Skill Is Exhausted") Pattern
Cloth Strip in the Oyokoman Adweneasa ("Royal Clan"/"My Skill Is Exhausted") Pattern

Cloth Strip in the Oyokoman Adweneasa ("Royal Clan"/"My Skill Is Exhausted") Pattern

ArtistWorkshop of Samuel Cophie Ghanaian (Akan, Asante), born 1939
Date2000
MediumRayon (warp) and silk (weft)
Dimensions4 x 138 1/2 in. (10.2 x 351.8 cm)
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineGift of the NCMA Docents
Object number2000.6.7
On View
Not on view
Label Text
Master weaver Samuel Cophie is famous for his unusual and innovative variations on traditional kente designs. The first word in this design identifies the royal Oyoko clan name; the second means “my skill is exhausted,” referring to the pattern’s complexity and beauty. Cophie began weaving in the 1940s, learning from his father. Now one of Ghana’s most renowned weavers, he maintains his workshop in Bonwire, the center of Asante kente weaving. Prominent chiefs visit his shop to commission unique garments for important occasions, insisting each cloth be more beautiful than the last. Strips such as this one would be sewn together to make a full cloth.ProvenanceSamuel Cophie, Bonwire, Ghana; purchased by NCMA docents 2000; given to NCMA 2000. Object Rights Statement

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