Woman's Ceremonial Skirt

Late 19th century-early 20th century

Kuba
Democratic Republic of the Congo

Assembled of individually worked panels sewn together, this skirt is embellished with an ever-shifting array of patterns. Although Kuba men are responsible for preparing and weaving raffia, Kuba women decorate the cloth with imagination and artistry. To make a skirt of this size, several women from the same extended family would contribute different sections. Raffia textiles have long been an important part of Kuba artistic production.

Status: On View, Gallery 59
Department: Textiles

Culture: Kuba
Title: Woman's 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 1875–1925
Medium: Raffia, plain weave; embroidered with raffia in buttonhole, pearl, and stem stitches, and running stitches cut to form pile; edged with raffia and hemp, plain weave, 2:2 oblique interlacing, and raffia-wrapped-raffia cord
Dimensions: 165.2 × 78.8 cm (65 × 31 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Richard Faletti, the Faletti Family Collection
Reference Number: 1993.490

Valerie Cassel Oliver, “The Geometry of Loss,” in On Loss and Absence: Textiles of Mourning and Survival, eds. Isaac Facio, Nneka Kai, L Vinebaum, and Anne Wilson, exh. cat. (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2025), 33, fig. 3 (ill.).

Art Institute of Chicago, African Art, Gallery 137, Sept. 13, 2016-Jan. 10, 2017.
Art Institute of Chicago, Elizabeth F. Cheney and Agnes Allerton Textile Galleries, On Loss and Absence: Textiles of Mourning and Survival, Sept. 6, 2025–Mar. 15, 2026, cat.

Richard F. Faletti, Clarendon Hills, IL, by Nov. 30, 1993 [incoming receipt RX20079; copy in curatorial iobject file]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1993.

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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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.

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