Kuba Cloth (Early 1900s)
Cultural heritage of Democratic Republic of Congo
design Details
Woman’s Prestige Garment
Kuba People
Early 1900s
3D Viewer
Use the mouse wheel to zoom in or out, and drag the right mouse button to rotate the garment.
3D avatar garment fitting video
Woman’s Prestige Garment
Class: Textiles – Woven
Medium: Raffia palm fiber
Dimensions: W. 31 In. × D. 12 ft. 4 In. (78.7 cm × 375.9 cm)
Description: This woman’s prestige garment is a ceremonial Kuba textile crafted from raffia palm fiber and adorned with intricate applique, embroidery, and geometric patterning. Highly valued within Kuba society, such textiles were worn by women during important social and ritual occasions, serving as powerful symbols of status, wealth, and cultural identity. The bold, interlocking motifs display exceptional artistic skill and highlight the wearer’s social standing, underscoring the garment’s central role in expressions of prestige and tradition in early 20th-century communities of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
(Source: The MET Museum Website)
colorways
Ceremonial Woman's Overskirt
Class: Textiles – Woven
Medium: Raffia palm fiber
Dimensions: W. 26.5 In. x L. 75 In. (67.3 cm x 190.5 cm)
Description: This overskirt, made by the Kuba peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is crafted from handwoven raffia fiber and decorated with resist-dyed and embroidered geometric motifs. Worn by women during important ceremonies, dances, and rites of passage, such overskirts expressed status, identity, and aesthetic refinement within Kuba society. The boldly patterned surface and scalloped edges reflect the Kuba emphasis on visual complexity—an artistic value known as itul (“to make more beautiful”). Today, this garment represents both Kuba textile mastery and the central role of dress in marking prestige and social life.
(Source: The MET Museum Website)
colorways
