Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Basket-weave bands in brown and cream, with black triangles wedged in like doorstops.

This Shoowa prestige panel is Kuba, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is piled raffia. The pile on a Shoowa cloth is cut raffia, sheared to an even nap that collectors often call Kasai velvet. Diagonal interlaced bands in cream and brown outline cross the field in a woven-looking lattice, filled with black triangles and angular blocks. A rose-pink border cloth frames all four sides neatly. Scale is medium to large, with a strong sense of over and under. It is 18 inches across and 20 long.

The maker drew rope and then made it look easy.