Man’s Robe

This gown’s sumptuous yardage, almost six feet across, helped to amplify the physical presence of an important man. Both the scale and composition of this garment signified one’s stature as a “Big Man,” an individual who wields great social power and wealth. The robe is constructed from an array of seventeen narrow-woven bands, plus a front pocket. The cloth strips feature varied patterns from a limited palette of natural dyes including woven stripes, resist-dyed motifs in indigo, and mottled dark gray sections dyed from the residue of a blacksmith’s forge.