Garment (Nkutu)

19th century, inventoried 1853

Not on view

Returned to lender

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

Prestige capes made of raffia fiber were worn by Kongo male elites from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. The netlike waist-length garment was made using a form of knotting. The garment opens at the center and terminates on either end with a tassel-like bundle of warp threads. The pattern alternates between zigzags of plain-weave and large open-weave apertures.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Garment (Nkutu)
Date: 19th century, inventoried 1853
Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of the Congo; Angola
Culture: Kongo peoples
Medium: Raffia
Dimensions: 31 1/8 × 49 1/4 in. (79 × 125 cm)
Classification: Textiles-Costumes
Credit Line: British Museum, London
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing