Congolese Wood Textile Hanger

Beautiful cloth, in much of Central Africa, deserved beautiful tools.

This wooden textile hanger was carved in the Republic of Congo in the 20th century, and the implements that went with cloth were shaped with an eye to beauty as well as use. Thirty-five inches long, the rod tapers gradually from a broad middle to a fine point. At its head, a short, braided-looking collar leads to a small, flat, spatula-like terminal.

The dark brown wood shows a faint reddish tone beneath a smooth, worn surface.

Restrained. Slender. A carver, with very little, doing a great deal.