Kuba Applique Textile
Old and very worn piece of early 20th century Kuba applique textile

Origin: DRC
Approx Age: Early – Mid 20th Century
Materials: Woven raffia
Dimensions cm: 89 ( longest point) x 76
Ref. Number: 1102
Description:
Very worn and delicate piece of Kuba applique textile. One half of the textile is a good deal longer than the other showing perhaps a section being damaged and left
Provenance: Ex Seward Kennedy Collection.
History
Over the centuries weaving techniques have not changed significantly. Finding and preparing the raffia fibres, weaving the cloth, dyeing and decorating with embroidery cut-pile, applique or patchwork still remains the basic steps in textile fabrication. Applique is the most popular weaving technique among the Kuba. To create an applique, Kuba artists use a stencil to cut decorative designs out of a brightly coloured cloth, then sew or apply the designs onto a cloth of a different colour.The designs are then placed on top of yet another cloth. Through this process, the artist has the freedom to create an almost unlimited variety of patterns and combinations. Some of the mostly used colour familiar to applique are dark brown/black on an ecru background, a pattern which is sometimes seen on the reverse. Applique textiles

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