The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Display Cloth (tapis): Koumi Diosseni Kandian (Koumi Diossé, The Long-Necked)

Display Cloth (tapis): Koumi Diosseni Kandian (Koumi Diossé, The Long-Necked)

1987
(Malian, c. 1941–2020)
Cotton and dye
Overall: 155.6 x 170.8 cm (61 1/4 x 67 1/4 in.)
Gift of Barbara G. Hoffman and Michael R. Short 2016.48
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This bògòlanfini contains many named patterns in addition to its primary motif, including Turusina (Mt. Sinai), file kolo ni (broken calabash), and mari (crocodile).

Description

Considered the greatest bògòlanfiniw artist, Nakunte Diarra innovated on the cloth painting and dyeing skills she learned from Sojo Coulibaly, her aunt. Covered with symbols that have proverbial and historical meaning, bògòlanfiniw was believed to have had protective powers. Diarra intended this work as a wall hanging, a nontraditional format she promoted to preserve this textile heritage. The central pattern, Koumi Diosseni Kandian (center, running horizontally and vertically), has a historical meaning. Translated as “Koumi Diossé, The Long-Necked,” it references the Bamana anti-colonial hero Koumi Diossé (1840–1915, also known as Diossé Djan or Diossé Traoré), who died fighting the French in the former Bélédogou region. The design’s two diamonds joined by parallel lines evoke his actual long neck.
  • 1987-2016
    Barbara G. Hoffman and Michael R. Short, Cleveland Heights, OH, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2016-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Aherne, Tavy D. Nakunte Diarra, Bògòlanfini Artist of the Beledougou. Bloomington [Ind.]: Indiana University Art Museum, 1992. p. 27, no. 6
  • Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).
    African art rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 20, 2019-October 5, 2020).
    African art rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 5, 2018-February 19, 2019).
  • {{cite web|title=Display Cloth (tapis): Koumi Diosseni Kandian (Koumi Diossé, The Long-Necked)|url=false|author=Nakunte Diarra|year=1987|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2016.48