Fabulous Old Kuba Bark Cloth Textile AFRICAN Tribal Man's Royal Overskirt For Sale

Fabulous example of a Kuba dance overskirt with dyed bark cloth.measures near 29"-32" wide by 70"x79" [73/82cm x 175/200cm] The thin bark cloth flag shape triangles that alternate black and white individually hand sewn together are each just 3-4cm. There are near 1500 of those elements sewn together that comprise the center panel and the unfinished edge is wild variable. Vintage with many broken stitches.
These cloths have also been used as currency throughout Africa. They are gorgeous when displayed and we have seen many in enclosed plexiglass boxes. Each is a one-of-a-kind artwork. Several 20th Century examples grace the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Older used ones such as this piece can be found but are becoming more rare. These five come from the estate of a collector Chicago, Illinois
Kuba cloth, authentic tribal art crafted by a time-intensive process involving multiple people. The raffia fibers are stripped and kneaded for an initial softening. The strands are then colored using vegetable dyes, creating the shades of ivory, brown, clay red, and indigo blue that are associated with many arts of the Kuba kingdom. A flatweave textile is then produced on an inclined heddle loom, usually by male weavers. At this point, another round of dyeing or kneading may take place, before handing the piece off for "finishing" work typically carried out by Kuba women. These decorative techniques can include embroidery, appliqués, or patchwork, and result in a cut pile cloth whose texture resembles velvet.
Because of the intricacy and diversity of techniques used for Kuba cloths, they have been a fascination of Western traders, scholars, and collectors since the 19th century. The Kuba kingdom was able to resist colonization for longer than many of its neighbors because it was so highly developed, but as Belgium advanced on the region, Kuba cloths were highly sought after and were featured in the earliest major exhibitions of African art in Europe in the late 1800s.Whether worn as a skirt or hanging on a museum wall, Kuba cloth is usually identified by bold, graphic black patterns that suggest movement. The textile often prominently features both repeated themes and irregularities between sections, which remind you that an artist’s hand crafted each stitch. This style originated in the 17th century in the Kuba kingdom of central Africa, in modern-day Democratic Republic of Congo. Traditionally woven using raffia palm fibers, Kuba cloths range in size and shape and are renowned as a significant art tradition from this part of the world.

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