Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Black diamonds and crosses spill across a tan field in loosely organized columns.

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. Solid black diamonds, small crosses and clusters of tiny checkered diamonds sit on a golden ground in vertical columns. A dark brown border runs around the edges. The panel is 22 inches wide by 23 long.

Loose, a bit scattered, and clearly improvised on the fly.