Luxury Cloth: Cushion Cover

17th–18th century, inventoried 1737

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

The primary visual conceit that Kongo artists endlessly transformed and deconstructed is that of a knot in which the ends of interlaced strands encircle and enjoin to create a contained form. That “endless knot” was articulated through processes that layered negative and positive passages of design. Weavers embedded design elements into the woven ground then introduced nuanced texture and chromatic values by cutting away surface fibers.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Luxury Cloth: Cushion Cover
Date: 17th–18th century, inventoried 1737
Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of the Congo; Angola
Culture: Kongo peoples; Kongo Kingdom
Medium: Raffia
Dimensions: 21 1/4 in. (54 cm) × 21 1/4 in. (54 cm)
Classification: Textiles-Woven
Credit Line: Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing