Mbuti Barkcloth Panel, Democratic Republic of Congo

Painted by hand, from a tree, in a rainforest.

Mbuti artists of the Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, made this barkcloth panel in pigment on bark cloth in the 20th century. Mbuti women commonly make barkcloth by beating inner bark, then decorate it with freehand patterns in dark pigment. This one has rows of crescent shapes and wavy lines that run down the cream ground, sometimes combined into loose, rippling columns. The cloth is soft and wrinkled, with irregular, curling edges.

About thirty-two inches long and thirteen wide. A textile with the look of a drawing.