ROYAL BAKUBA NTSHAKISHEEN WITH WOOT DESIGN

Antiques: Regional Art: African: Textiles Pre 1920: item #620916

Bakuba Peoples, Congo. This is a Royal Bushongo Queen's overskirt, called a "Ntshakisheen" - "Ntshak-" for a woman's garment, and the use of barkcloth in the center ("Mboom") denoting the type of Ntshak, hence "Ntshakisheen". Worn only by the highest ranking women at Court, this shows the traditional "Richileu" embroidered edge, but in this example the embroidery is executed in the revered "Woot" design - as, the Bakuba call themselves "the children of Woot". Interestingly, this example shows a... Click for details

FANTASTIC BAKUBA ROYAL QUEEN'S SKIRT

Antiques: Regional Art: African: Textiles Pre 1920: item #612397

Superb and extremely rare! This extraordinary textile is known as a "Ntshawabwiin", an overskirt, but from the "Labot Latwool" class of garments - those reserved exclusively for Royalty! Measuring approximately - and comprised of a hand-woven Raffia Palm fabric (among the Bakuba, it is the men, interestingly, who do the weaving) backing, with barkcloth "Ikuuk Mayeeng" - reserved exclusively for Royalty - with Dutch tile Trade beads, Cowrie shells (both reserved for royalty) and an interesting ov... Click for details

SUPERB KUBA BUSHONGO MAPEL

Antiques: Regional Art: African: Textiles Pre 1920: item #597147

Kuba Peoples, Congo. This is a superb Kuba Bushongo textile - a tour d'force of Bushongo textile art, showing all of their best techniques in one magnificent example. Made as a young man's skirt, or 'Mapel', this interestingly was made for a man not of any Royal or noble status, but by the mastery of Kuba textile traditions, status indeed! Woven of raffia (raffia viniferis) (and interestingly, among the Kuba, it is the men who do the weaving), but further embellished with Bushongo cut-pile wor... Click for details

SUPERB KUBA SHOOWA NTSHAKABWIIN

Antiques: Regional Art: African: Textiles Pre 1920: item #597137

Kuba Peoples, Congo. This is a superb textile, made by the Shoowa sub-tribe of the Kuba, made as a tribute cloth to the Royal court of the ruling Bushongo tribe, in the form of a Royal overskirt, or "ntshabwiin". Measuring approximately 75" x 20" (191 x 51 cm.) and mounted on a custom stretched canvas frame measuring approximately 81 1/2" x 28 1/2" (207.5 x 71.5 cm.) Made never to be worn, but only displayed, the 'cut-pile' technique used here, artfully, is the most revered and well-reknowned o... Click for details

SUPERB ROYAL KUBA BUSHONGO NTSHAKABWIIN

Antiques: Regional Art: African: Textiles Pre 1920: item #597126

Kuba Peoples, Congo. This object was reserved for wear only by the highest ranking women at the Royal Court of the Kuba. An overskirt - worn over the voluminous ntshakiswepy - this is complete textile, as one border was never seen. Constructed of hand woven raffia fiber (raffia viniferis), both the border and the field on this example are done in finely sewn 'Richileu' embroidery - a hallmark of Bushongo work, and their most revered (the Bushongo are the central, and ruling tribe, among the K... Click for details

AN EXEMPLARY KUBA MAN'S MAPEL

Antiques: Regional Art: African: Textiles Pre 1920: item #597119

Kuba Peoples, Congo. This wonderful textile is actually a young man's skirt - as the Kuba traditionally wear, for important occasions. Showing all the hallmarks of very high status - and by these points one could see at a glance the status of the wearer - this would have been worn by a young man of some nobility. Carefully constructed in five panels of hand-woven raffia (raffia viniferis) (and among the Kuba, it is the men who do the weaving), the use of the raffia ball fringe denotes male us... Click for details

Superb Old Tuareg Mat

Antiques: Regional Art: African: Textiles Pre 1920: item #550268

Tuareg Tribe, Mali. A superb old Tuareg mat, measuring approximately 37 1/2" (95 cm.) in overall length. All original, without any restoration or repairs (as the Tuareg are fond of doing). These old ones are quite scarce.

OLD EWE "DOUBLE WEAVE" WOMAN'S COVERING

Antiques: Regional Art: African: Textiles Pre 1920: item #454351

Ewe Peoples, South-eastern Ghana and neighboring border with Togo, early 20th century. An old woman's 'double-woven' textile, meant to be wrapped around the body like a sarong. The Ewe (pronounced 'ev-a') excelled in a narrow-strip weaving tradition, like their neighboring Ashante, although the Ewe are acclaimed as the finest weavers of all of Africa, and indeed, it is their wearing their 'wrappers' that gave rise to the expressions of "walk in beauty" and "art in motion" and others. The appear... Click for details

African Yoruba beaded dance ceremony cape

Antiques: Regional Art: African: Textiles Pre 1900: item #442725
4701

African Yoruba tribe beaded dance ceremonial costume cape. This fantastic African tribal ceremony cape by the Yoruba tribe has some of the best bead work we have encountered. The cape measures 46 inches high by 42 inches wide and beaded on both front and back. The all over design depicts alligators, natives, birds, animals and African tribal designs. The Yoruba tribe is located near the Congo in Cabinda (Angola). Shipping extra. Connecticut residents and buyers picking up in Connecticut add 6% s... Click for details

African resist dyed kuba cloth

Antiques: Regional Art: African: Textiles Pre 1900: item #106294
CHG 0622

An African kuba cloth done in a resist dye technique. Repeating patterns of circular shapes are done in a light cream and stand out against a dark brown background.

Dimensions: 15' x 29"

PLEASE NOTE that we are a working gallery. No one will be available to answer questions on the weekends and holidays.