KUBA, SHOOWA TEXTILES, Democratic Republic of Congo 23x40" (59x100.5cm) The textiles of the Kuba kingdom are among the most distinctive and spectacular works of African art. Emerging in the early seventeenth century, the Kuba kingdom grew into a powerful and wealthy confederation of eighteen different ethnic groups located in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Using the leaf of the raffia tree, the Kuba people first hand cut, and then weave the strips of leaf to make pieces of fabric, often called raffia cloth. There are several different sub groups of the Kuba people. Each group has different and unique ways to make the fabric. Some make it thicker, longer, shorter, or with different patches. Each patch is symbolic and many times a piece has many different meanings. The true jewels of textile art are the Shoowa cut-pile cloths. Their complex interplay of geometric symbols, inventive rhythm and balance, uniquely individual designs and "velvet" surfaces created objects so mysteriously alluring the Kuba people traded them as currency. They were the standard by which a family's wealth and status were judged. These cloths were embroidered with no stitching visible on the back. They were sewn together for ceremonial dress and covered royal stools. As a sign of status and to provide for the afterlife they were buried with kings or those fortunate enough to own many. These cloths are not fragile. They can be pinned to a wall, framed, or even used as a fabric for clothing or upholstery. Folds or wrinkles can be removed with careful misting and ironing from the back. This item is vintage, authentic and one of a kind. It has signs of wear and tear.

KUBA, SHOOWA TEXTILES, Democratic Republic of Congo 23x40" (59x100.5cm) The textiles of the Kuba kingdom are among the most distinctive and spectacular works of African art. Emerging in the early seventeenth century, the Kuba kingdom grew into a powerful and wealthy confederation of eighteen different ethnic groups located in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Using the leaf of the raffia tree, the Kuba people first hand cut, and then weave the strips of leaf to make pieces of fabric, often called raffia cloth. There are several different sub groups of the Kuba people. Each group has different and unique ways to make the fabric. Some make it thicker, longer, shorter, or with different patches. Each patch is symbolic and many times a piece has many different meanings. The true jewels of textile art are the Shoowa cut-pile cloths. Their complex interplay of geometric symbols, inventive rhythm and balance, uniquely individual designs and "velvet" surfaces created objects so mysteriously alluring the Kuba people traded them as currency. They were the standard by which a family's wealth and status were judged. These cloths were embroidered with no stitching visible on the back. They were sewn together for ceremonial dress and covered royal stools. As a sign of status and to provide for the afterlife they were buried with kings or those fortunate enough to own many. These cloths are not fragile. They can be pinned to a wall, framed, or even used as a fabric for clothing or upholstery. Folds or wrinkles can be removed with careful misting and ironing from the back. This item is vintage, authentic and one of a kind. It has signs of wear and tear.