Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Dark labyrinth corridors in brown and black, folded into two long halves.

This Shoowa prestige panel is Kuba, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is piled raffia. The Kuba are known for raffia textiles in which a few simple elements are repeated and varied until the surface seems to move. Angular meander lines in dark brown and black wind across the whole surface in a dense maze. The cloth is two long sections joined at a seam. A few lighter tan patches show in the upper half. It measures 21.5 inches wide and 48 long.

A maze with no exit and no complaints from the maker.