Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Black triangles sit in a tan lattice like a flock of small sails.

This Shoowa prestige panel is Kuba, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is piled raffia. Shoowa embroiderers generally work in geometric designs, and the patterns are often said to be composed as the stitching goes. Tan ground with diagonal cream bands, each cell holding a black triangle with a toothed edge, pointing downward in orderly horizontal rows. A brown border frames it, and the lower edge shows some soft staining and wear. The panel is 21 inches wide by 22.5 long.

Repetition done with such calm that it almost sounds like music.