Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Wide black zigzags, unbroken from side to side, like a ruler held by a cheerful hand.

This Shoowa prestige panel is Kuba, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is piled raffia. Kuba cloth begins with the fibers of the raffia palm, and the embroidery that covers it is slow, patient work. Thick black zigzag bands alternate with tan and cream lines across a field in horizontal rows. The rows are even and the scale is bold. The tan border shows slightly at the edges, and the cloth lies fairly flat. It is 19 inches across and 19 long.

Zigzags with no second thoughts, for the whole width.