Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Black and cream checkerboard ribbons undulate in long diagonal waves.

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. Rows of small black and cream checkered diamonds ripple between wavy double lines, running horizontally across the whole cloth. The ground is warm tan and the edges are hemmed. It measures 21 inches wide and 24 long.

Chess pieces on a gentle sea.