Images(2)

Design Cloth (bwiim)

Artist Shoowa artists

Datemid-20th century

MediumRaffia and pigment

Dimensions16 1/2 x 20 in. (41.9 x 50.8 cm)

ClassificationsTextiles

Credit LineGift of Dr. James W. Lankton

Object number2017.6.23

On View

Not on view

Label TextRectangular panels of cut-pile embroidery were used by the Kuba people as prestige items, as diplomatic gifts, and in burials. The women who did this work were among the most highly respected Kuba artists. They used a marvelous array of shapes, colors, and textures to produce the innovative geometric designs for which Kuba art is celebrated.

Artists from the Shoowa chiefdom, part of the Kuba Kingdom, are particularly known for their fine textile designs that could be amassed as a way to display one’s status or accumulate wealth. Still important today, these patterns have served as an inspiration for many modern artists.ProvenanceCollected by Dr. James W. Lankton, Winston-Salem, NC, in March 1989 while visiting the Kuba king, Nyimi Kwete aMbweeky, at Nsheng, the Kuba capital, West Kasai Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo; given to the NCMA Foundation, 2000; given to NCMA, 2017.Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–October 23, 2023. Object Rights Statement

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