Woman’s Skirt
Artist: Kuba Peoples, Shoowa Group (African)
Date: mid 20th century
Dimensions:
H: 34 1/4 in. (87.0 cm), L: 129 3/4 in. (329.57 cm).
Medium: Raffia palm fiber with applique designs.
Place of Origin: Democratic Republic of Congo
Classification: Textiles and Fiber
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1977.73
Label Text:Kuba-embroidered and appliquéd fabrics with complex geometric patterns were used as tribute, bride wealth, and debt payment. Both Kuba men and women made textiles, but each with specific duties. Young men strip and slit the palm fronds, while women prepare the palm fibers. Only men set up the loom and perform the weaving, but women dye the cloth and do the embroidery, or in this case, appliqué—using black embroidery to stitch cloth fragments in different color tones onto a background cloth. The seemingly abstract patterns have specific names, such as “tortoise shell,” “interlace,” and “feather,” but their meanings are known only to the women who stitch them.
Not on view
In Collection(s)