Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Gold lozenges and black ovals in vertical stripes, like fish in tidy columns.

This Shoowa prestige panel is Kuba, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is piled raffia. Cut-pile raffia of this kind is usually attributed to the Shoowa, a Kuba people of the Kasai region, and was traditionally made by women. Three vertical sections of black ground carry gold outlines. A diamond lattice sits on the left, a narrow stepped column in the center, and large almond-shaped ovals on the right. A thick rust-pink fringe surrounds the piece on all sides. It is 20 inches across and 21 long.

Gold on black has no business being this cheerful.