Artist:Fante
Medium: Textile with appliqué and embroidery
Geograhical Locations:
Dates:early to mid–20th century
Dimensions: 56 x 36 1/2 in. (142.2 x 92.7 cm)
Collections:
Exhibitions:
Accession Number: 2009.39.1
Image: 2009.39.1_PS1.jpg,
Catalogue Description: The object is a double sided, textile (cotton?) Asafo flag. The flag is composed of a patchwork of red, black, blue and beige (cotton?) fabrics sewn together with beige, red or black (cotton?) thread. Appliqué and embroidery are used as design elements on both sides of the flag. The hoist of the flag is made of a band of beige fabric that has been folded over and sewn along the vertical edge to allow room for a pole. An exterior border of fringe, consisting of two layers of cut beige fabric, is found on both the top and bottom lengths and the fly end of the flag. Immediately within the fringe is a single band of alternating red and beige triangular, fabric segments, which interlock to form a bi-color square pattern. The canton (upper left quadrant) is a Union Jack made with a patchwork of red, beige, and blue fabric pieces. The field consists primarily of a black fabric background with appliqué design elements. There is a large, three-headed monster located in the central section of the field. The monster has wings, a curly tail with an arrow tip, and talons. It is composed primarily of beige fabric with red appliqué details on the feet and tail. Black embroidery is used to delineate the swirl of the tail and the outline and pupil of the eye; red to accent the edges of the wings and depict the tongue, whiskers(?), and eye; and beige to depict the teeth. All embroidery appears to be done in a chain stitch. There is a headless figure and shot gun visible below the Union Jack. The figure is a peach-colored fabric appliqué with red embroidery at the neck and along the waist, and black embroidery delineating the fingers. The gun is a red fabric appliqué with red embroidery delineating the trigger and trigger guard.