Mbuti Barkcloth Panel, Democratic Republic of Congo

Spirals on stalks, a meadow of tiny shepherd’s crooks.

Mbuti artists of the Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, painted this barkcloth panel with pigment in the 20th century. Mbuti barkcloth is commonly made from beaten bark and often decorated by women, then worn or used in ceremony. This almost square panel is scattered with concentric spirals, each on a thin stem that bends or forks. The spirals are small and unevenly spaced, which gives the field a casual rhythm. The surface is beige, with soft creases and a ragged edge.

About 26 by 23 inches. Light on its feet and easy on the eye.