Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Brown and black blocks jostle in rectangles, bending toward a nested center.

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 Kuba are known for raffia textiles in which a few simple elements are repeated and varied until the surface seems to move. Staggered black and brown rectangular blocks cluster along the top and bottom, while the center resolves into nested chevrons and stepped squares. Cream outlines separate the colors. Several sections are joined with visible seams across the field. It measures 23 inches wide and 33 long.

Rectangles piling in toward the middle like guests at a buffet.