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Man's Overskirt

A work made of center field: raffia, plain weave; stamped or painted; borders: alternating bands of cotton and raffia, plain and twill weaves; resist dyed, painted, or stamped; and raffia, plain weave; embroidered with raffia in running stitches cut to form pile; all edged with raffia, plain weave with knotted, cut pompons; end: raffia, plain weave; tie-dyed; joined with raffia yarns in pearl stitches.

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  • A work made of center field: raffia, plain weave; stamped or painted; borders: alternating bands of cotton and raffia, plain and twill weaves; resist dyed, painted, or stamped; and raffia, plain weave; embroidered with raffia in running stitches cut to form pile; all edged with raffia, plain weave with knotted, cut pompons; end: raffia, plain weave; tie-dyed; joined with raffia yarns in pearl stitches.

Date:

20th century

Artist:

Kuba
Democratic Republic of the Congo

About this artwork

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. At the turn of the century, when this skirt was made, European visitors to the kingdom commented on the richly patterned raffia textiles that were worn and displayed at public festivals and funerals.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Textiles

Culture

Kuba

Title

Man's Overskirt

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 1901–1987

Medium

Center field: raffia, plain weave; stamped or painted; borders: alternating bands of cotton and raffia, plain and twill weaves; resist dyed, painted, or stamped; and raffia, plain weave; embroidered with raffia in running stitches cut to form pile; all edged with raffia, plain weave with knotted, cut pompons; end: raffia, plain weave; tie-dyed; joined with raffia yarns in pearl stitches

Dimensions

60.4 × 171.3 cm (23 3/4 × 67 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Dr. and Mrs. Magnus P. Urnes Endowment

Reference Number

1987.322

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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