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Luxury Cloth: Cushion Cover

16th–17th century, inventoried 1607
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This work, acquired by Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II in Prague about 1607, is the earliest Kongo textile documented in a European collection. Rudolf’s Kunstkammer was the most influential of its day. Conceived as a microcosm of the world, its encyclopedic holdings of natural and manmade artifacts served as a site of contemplation for the emperor and a resource for intellectuals and artists at his court. The fabric on both sides of this rectangular cushion cover features a classic Kongo design elaborating on a continuous field of lozenges.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Luxury Cloth: Cushion Cover
  • Date: 16th–17th century, inventoried 1607
  • Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of the Congo; Angola
  • Culture: Kongo peoples; Kongo Kingdom
  • Medium: Raffia
  • Dimensions: 27 1/2 x 18 1/2 in. (70 x 47 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Woven
  • Credit Line: Národní Muzeum, Prague

  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing