| Genuine Kuba cloth is woven from the fiber of the Raphia Vinifera Palma, and in this piece, open work embroidery creates the detail along with cowrie shells. This piece originates from the Republic of Congo. The fibers are gathered and stripped by hand and the basic cloth unit is produced by men on a single heddle loom. After weaving, the cloth units are sometimes softened by repeated wetting and pounding in a mortar. The pattern is created by removing warp or weft elements of the base cloth, then embroidering around and through these losses to embellish and to prevent unraveling. This fine cloth measures 96 x 28 inches. |