Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Horizontal zigzag rows stack up like a seismograph reporting a very calm morning.

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. Crisp black zigzags run in horizontal bands over a cream ground, with a few diamond shapes breaking the rhythm at center. A band of warm orange tone crosses the middle rows, and the lower edge looks stained. The panel is 19 inches wide by 22 long.

Even a zigzag gets a little sunburnt in the middle.