New acquisitions

Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa from 1994 until 1999, was much-celebrated in his 85th year.

This embroidery was created to commemorate that birthday in 2003 by the Mapula Project.  It is an important textile to add to the studio collection, although it is currently in Cape Town awaiting collection. Here are some pictures, kindly taken by my long-suffering family who are storing the huge work until it can be moved. 

We have also added a beautiful Japanese indigo-dyed antique jacket to the collection. It has lovely faded marks where the textile has been folded and creased, and, although it has come unstitched down the middle seam, is in good condition for its age. I do not know what the crest on the back (called mon) means but Google Translate tells me that the characters on the front mean Paradise Island or possibly Fukushima.  Can anyone out there in internetland help?