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Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

ArtistWorkshop of Samuel Cophie Ghanaian (Akan, Asante), born 1939
Date2000
MediumRayon and silk
DimensionsL. 136 in. x W. 82 in. (354.4 x 208.3 cm)
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineGift of the NCMA Docents
Object number2001.3
On View
Not on view
Label TextMaster weaver Samuel Cophie is famous for his unusual and innovative variations on traditional kente designs. 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, though he himself is Ewe.

Prominent chiefs visit his shop to commission unique garments for important occasions, insisting that each cloth be more beautiful than the last. Cophie created the dazzling design of this silk and rayon cloth in 2000 for Chief Osayem Tetteh Odorkor Tuumeh I. The weaver accepted a commission from the NCMA Docents to produce a second cloth of the same design for the Museum’s collection.
ProvenanceCommissioned from Mr. Cophie, Bonwire, Ghana, on July 5, 2000; given to NCMA 2001.Published References"N.C. Museum of Art Oks 7 acquisitions," Durham: The Herald-Sun (April 13, 2001), mentioned D5.

"N.C. Museum of Art approves video," North Wilkesboro, NC: The Journal Patriot (April 16, 2001), briefly discussed H8.

Mary Ellen Soles, "Accent on Africa: Recent Acquisitions of African Art," Preview: The Magazine of the North Carolina Museum of Art (March/April 2003), very briefly discussed 9.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Accent on Africa: Recent Acquisitions of African Art," April 6-August 10, 2003, brochure no. 11, illus. (b-w).
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