Mbuti Barkcloth Panel, Democratic Republic of Congo

Fine lines sweep across the sheet like wind combed through grass.

Mbuti artists of the Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, painted this barkcloth panel with pigment in the 20th century. Forest barkcloth is traditionally beaten from the inner bark of fig-type trees and softened until it is supple. This panel is a pale tan, with hundreds of thin dark lines that fan, cross and sweep diagonally from the upper left, forming something like feathers or wood grain. A deep central fold divides the sheet, and the edges are lightly frayed.

About 26 by 15 inches. Calm from across the room, busy up close.