Raffia cloth
Artist Unidentified
20th century, 1950–2000
Object PlaceDemoractic Republic of the Congo
Medium/TechniqueRaffia fiber, pigment
DimensionsOverall: 69 x 483 cm (27 3/16 x 190 3/16 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2739
On View
Not on viewClassificationsTextiles
DescriptionThe Kuba peoples' delight in two-dimensional design ranged from the adornment of the human body in the form of scarification, to elaborately decorated wooden boxes, to geometric patterns in raffia cloth, created jointly by men and women. Scholars have described one of the principles of Kuba aesthetics as horror vacui-the reluctance of artists to leave empty spaces.
Provenance1980s, acquired in Cambridge, MA by Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
early to mid-20th century
early to mid-20th century
early to mid-20th century
early to mid-20th century
