Congolese Wood Textile Hanger

Worn as a mark of standing, offered in exchange: cloth, in Central Africa, was never only cloth.

The implements made to handle it were shaped with care and finished with a carved head. This 20th-century hanger from the Republic of Congo is a long, slender rod, thirty-six and a half inches long and less than two inches across at its widest. The proportions are narrow and linear.

Hang it on a wall. Stand it on a stand. Set it beside its relatives.

It will not mind.