Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Checkerboards and hourglasses, bordered by a wave that never quite breaks.

This Shoowa prestige panel is Kuba, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century, in woven raffia. Kuba raffia cloths are generally built from narrow woven strips, then embroidered or pieced into larger designs, and the patterns are widely admired for their inventiveness. This panel shows two blocks of brown and cream checks with hourglass motifs. Between them runs a narrow band of zigzags. A frame of interlocking angular scrolls closes the top and bottom, with a diamond border at each side. It is 20 inches wide and 40.25 long.

A lot of order, held together by a good deal of imagination.