Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Big black lozenges ringed in cream, with brown hearts and a ragged, loose 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. Shoowa embroiderers generally work in geometric designs, and the patterns are often said to be composed as the stitching goes. Large black lozenges with brown centers sit in cream lattice lines across the cloth in an all-over layout. The upper and lower edges are raw, with loose threads and a wispy fringe at one side. Contrast is strong. It is 22 inches across and 23 long.

Handsome and rough around the edges, in equal measure.