About this artwork
According to oral tradition, the seventeenth-century Kuba king Shyaam introduced plush-textured raffia textiles to his kingdom. Raffia panels have long been considered valuable in Central Africa; plain panels were used as currency as early as the sixteenth century. Increasingly decorative panels, embellished by women with innumberable combinations of geometric patterns, may have developed from this practice. Until the early twentieth century, such panels were exchanged in a variety of contexts—for instance, as royal tribute or part of a marriage contract. Today they continue to be collected by families, used in funeral displays, and buried with important adults.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Textiles
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Culture
- Kuba
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Title
- Panel Originally Intended as a Ceremonial Skirt
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Place
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (Object made in)
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Date
- Made 1901–1983
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Medium
- Raffia, plain weave; pieced; embroidered with raffia
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Dimensions
- 547.4 × 100.6 cm (215 1/2 × 39 5/8 in.)
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Credit Line
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas Purchase Fund
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Reference Number
- 1983.974
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
