Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Concentric squares set on edge, ringed in black, inside a rose-brown border.

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. Nested black and tan diamonds with dot centers repeat in a diagonal grid, edged by wavy zigzag lines between them. Hemmed neatly on all sides. It measures 20.5 inches wide and 22.5 long.

Neat ripples, tidy rings and a good eye for margins.