Raffia Cloth Skirt Panel - Kuba People, D.R. Congo (#52)
Raffia Cloth Skirt Panel - Kuba People, D.R. Congo (#52)
Raffia Cloth Skirt Panel - Kuba People, D.R. Congo (#52) 1
Raffia Cloth Skirt Panel - Kuba People, D.R. Congo (#52) 2

Raffia Cloth Skirt Panel - Kuba People, D.R. Congo (#52)

$98.00
The warm harmonies of color tones turn these fabrics into abstract works of art. These richly decorated cloths took a considerable amount of time to create, as they were hand-woven, stitched & dyed. Due to the fact that they were labor-intensive to create, they are highly prized by collectors.

The men would weave panels on a loom, while the women decorated the cloth with an endless variety of applied decorative geometric patterns. The overall designs were either symmetrical or asymmetrical. The development of new patterns was a prominent feature of Kuba kingship. Every king was expected to invent a new cloth pattern at the beginning of his reign. Natural pigments were used to create the dyes for coloring. Modern artists such as Matisse, Paul Klee and Braque were influenced & incorporated African designs into their works. In fact Matisse hung these cloths adorning the walls of his studio next to his own painted paper cut-outs. Matisse said “I never tire of looking at them - and waiting for something to come to me from the mystery of their instinctive geometry”.

This would make a great pillow cover - the plainer non pattern on the front side could be the backside of the pillow.

35" x 25"

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