Mbuti Barkcloth Panel, Democratic Republic of Congo, Framed

Black lines on pale bark: hatched bands, crosses, stars, hooks. A forest, drawn as it was felt.

Among the Mbuti of the Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, men beat the inner bark of forest trees into soft cloth, and women decorated it with freehand designs in dark pigment, often improvising as they worked. This panel is from the 20th century and is framed. Crisp black lines make rectangular enclosures that shift direction across the pale, irregularly shaped cloth, with a faint touch of rust near the top.

It is floated against a dark backing in a black frame, just over three feet tall. Hang it. The forest takes care of the rest.