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Luxury Cloth: Cushion Cover

16th - 17th century, inventoried 1889
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 features a different pattern on each side (on the reverse is a network filled with lozenge motifs and frets around the perimeter). This side consists of a network of alternating dark and light bands that take the form of a series of interlocked “T” shapes. The contrasting texture and tonal value are created by the juxtaposition of the darker light-absorbing cut-pile wefts with the light-reflecting uncut wefts. The perimeter features an intricate decorative pompom fringe with four circular balls at each corner. This decorative flourish and the format of the cover were likely a response to European Renaissance prototypes imported into the Kongo region.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Luxury Cloth: Cushion Cover
  • Date: 16th - 17th century, inventoried 1889
  • Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of the Congo; Angola
  • Culture: Kongo peoples; Kongo Kingdom
  • Medium: Raffia
  • Dimensions: 23 1/4 × 33 1/2 in. (59 × 85 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Woven
  • Credit Line: Etnografiska Museet, Världskulturmuseerna, Stockholm



  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing