Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Rows of black-centered diamonds, outlined twice, marching down a long dark column.

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 textiles were woven and embroidered to be worn, gifted and buried with the dead, long before collectors hung them on walls. Closely packed diamonds with cream double outlines and black centers cover a tall narrow cloth in an even all-over layout. A horizontal seam crosses near the middle. The overall tone is dark, with a brown edge showing along the sides. The panel is 17.5 inches wide by 41 long.

The diamonds keep their spacing like commuters on a platform.