The men would weave panels on a loom, while the women decorated the cloth with an endless variety of applied decorative geometric patterns. The overall designs were either symmetrical or asymmetrical. The development of new patterns was a prominent feature of Kuba kingship. Every king was expected to invent a new cloth pattern at the beginning of his reign. Natural pigments were used to create the dyes for coloring. Modern artists such as Matisse, Paul Klee and Braque were influenced & incorporated African designs into their works. In fact Matisse hung these cloths adorning the walls of his studio next to his own painted paper cut-outs. Matisse said “I never tire of looking at them - and waiting for something to come to me from the mystery of their instinctive geometry”.
This would make a great pillow cover - the plainer non pattern on the front side could be the backside of the pillow.
35" x 29"
