This book is a tribute to the creativity of the peoples of Africa, in particular to its weavers, and presents magnificent textiles and accessories in 300 full-color photographs.Celebrating African costumes and textiles, this volume draws on historical and modern pieces from the Zaira and Marcel Mis Collection. The extraordinary works exemplify the craftsmanship of highly skilled African weavers and provide insight into the lives and culture of various ethnic groups.The book presents a variety of costumes, textiles, and accessories used for everyday wear and for special celebrations, and explores the different techniques, influences, and meanings behind these colorful works of art. The essays describe the history of the development of these techniques and the richness of the symbolism in this form of cultural heritage. The superb photography showcases the splendor of these intricate and exquisite textiles.

About the Author

Anne-Marie Bouttiaux is chief curator of the Ethnography Department at the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium. John Mack has written extensively on African art and on art as a world-wide phenomenon. His most recent book is The Art of Small Things. Frieda Sorber, the curator of the Provincial Museum of Costume and Textiles in Antwerp, has written several books on the textile traditions of Morocco and the Near and Far East, including Asian Costumes and Textiles. Anne van Cutsem-Vanderstraete is an art historian and the author of several publications on ethnic costume in the Ghysels Collection.