Ordinary commercially woven cloth is transformed by hand dying with localy made indigo dye. To create the elaborate patterns of adire the artist blocks the dye from reaching the surface of the cloth. This is done by painting or stenciling with a starch such as cassava paste, or by tying or sewing knots and seams. This pattern is called elesun or "something pushed up," and is made by folding and sewing.
Adire was first produced in quantity in the late nineteenth century, with production dwindling by World War II. The 1960s saw a revived interest in adire with new patterns, and new uses superceeding the original use as women's wrappers.
Description:
Rural cloth tied and folded on calico, indigo dye, with an overall pattern of two sets of concentric linear boxes.
Provenance:
Jane Barbour, acquired Abeokuta, Nigeria, 1969 to 1996
Exhibition History:
Adire: Resist-Dyed Cloths of the Yoruba, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., April 16-August 17, 1997
Published References:
National Museum of African Art. 1997. Adire: Resist-Dyed Cloths of the Yoruba. Exhibition brochure. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, no. 5.
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