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Ceremonial Skirt

A work made of raffia, plain weave and cotton, plain weave; pieced; appliquéd with raffia, plain weave in pearl stitches.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of raffia, plain weave and cotton, plain weave; pieced; appliquéd with raffia, plain weave in pearl stitches.

Date:

1875/1900

Artist:

Kuba, Bushong
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kasai Province, Mushenge

About this artwork

Kuba ceremonial skirts such as this one were worn as part of everyday finery by figures of high social rank as well as exchanged or otherwise distributed as prized items or currency; the objects were also sometimes used in dowry payments or displayed as funerary shrouds. The production of a fabric from the raffia palm leaf requires intensive human labor and technical ability. The abstract motifs that overlay the raffia cloth—circles, L-shapes, and lozenges—reference symbols and ideas that were broadly understood by the Kuba. The interlacing grid-like sections with their tight compositional style contrast sharply with the looser configuration of abstract elements in the center. Simple shapes are scattered—sparsely in places and densely in others—over panels of finely woven, undyed raffia. Although the placement of the shapes is often determined by small holes or tears in the raffia fabric, the shapes themselves and the way they interact imply a conscious attempt to enhance aesthetic appeal through compositional configurations.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Culture

Kuba

Title

Ceremonial Skirt

Place

Democratic Republic of the Congo (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1875–1900

Medium

Raffia, plain weave and cotton, plain weave; pieced; appliquéd with raffia, plain weave in pearl stitches

Dimensions

78 × 525 cm (30 3/4 × 206 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

The Art Institute of Chicago, Edward E. Ayer Endowment, a memorial to Charles L. Hutchinson by his great friend and admirer; Samuel P. Avery and Maurice D. Galleher endowments

Reference Number

1985.199

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/110059/manifest.json

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.

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