Ewe Strip-Woven Cloth

Cream cloth, black bars, and small star-shaped motifs hiding between them.

Ewe weavers in Ghana, West Africa, wove this strip cloth in cotton in the 20th century. Ewe and neighboring Akan weavers sew loom-width strips into large wrappers, which are often associated with ceremonial and festive dress. The ground is a warm cream. Black blocks and dashes stack in horizontal bands, heaviest at the top and bottom edges, and small figures in a lighter thread are scattered between the rows. The cotton is soft and slightly uneven, as hand-woven cloth is.

About 83 by 132 inches. Bold from a distance, patient up close.