Kuba Shoowa Prestige Panel

Men wove the raffia. Women embroidered it and cut the pile. Among the Kuba, a good cloth took both.

This Shoowa panel, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was made in the 20th century. Such cloths were valued as gifts, currency and markers of status. Concentric diamonds in black pile sit in close, steady rows on a natural straw ground, each ringed by stepped outlines that build a shimmering lattice. A fringed brown border frames all four sides.

Slight irregularities in the rows and gentle wear speak to the hand behind it. Twenty-three inches by twenty-seven. The eye does the rest.