Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Wide diamonds up top, squashed stripes at the bottom, and a frayed left edge.

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. Wide and low, on a pale straw ground. The top carries black diamonds in loose rows, and the lower band compresses into narrow zigzag and chevron stripes. The left edge is ragged and frayed, with a little loose thread. It is 18 inches across and 32 long.

Starts with swagger and ends in tidy little lines.