Cut-Pile Embroidery Panel

Artist Artist Unknown

Date20th century

MediumRaffia and pigment

Dimensions27 x 25 1/2 in. (68.6 x 64.8 cm)

ClassificationsTextiles

Credit LinePurchased with funds from various donors, by exchange

Object number98.5.5

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.ProvenanceAcquired by dealer David Lantz, New York, in 1998 from dealer in Brussels.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Designing in Raffia: Kuba Embroideries from the Democratic Republic of the Congo," October 21, 2000-January 7, 2001. Object Rights Statement

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