This rare and finely constructed flat weave raffia fibre textile is one of a small group of 15 or less known examples to exist in European collections.
This textile predates the Kuba Shoowa textiles, and exhibits a uniquely individual and beautifully freelance design with a complex interplay of geometric symbols and sense of rhythm and movement. This textile, with its tight velvet-like surface, is thought to have served as a representation of wealth or a form of dowry or currency.
Estimated Period: Late 19th Century
Ex Private Collection, Belgium (Brussels)
L: 65.5cm x H: 72cm
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