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Source Description
Mbuun men wove and embroidered wrap skirts like this for women to wear on special occasions. Gently color-shifted patterns (<em>lubawa</em>) along the central panels were achieved by “floating” wefts (selectively covering over vertical, or warp, threads with horizontal, or weft, threads). In contrast, various black-brown embroidered diamonds cover the borders. These are called <em>lobubasa,</em> motifs also seen on cicatrices (ornamental scars) that once beautified women’s bodies. Short tufts running horizontally and vertically across the textile were created by inserting extra fibers, then cutting and fluffing them with a knife. These add texture and hide the seams between woven panels.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
171076
label
Woman's Skirt
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
171076
contentType
object
title
Woman's Skirt
description
Mbuun men wove and embroidered wrap skirts like this for women to wear on special occasions. Gently color-shifted patterns (<em>lubawa</em>) along the central panels were achieved by “floating” wefts (selectively covering over vertical, or warp, threads with horizontal, or weft, threads). In contrast, various black-brown embroidered diamonds cover the borders. These are called <em>lobubasa,</em> motifs also seen on cicatrices (ornamental scars) that once beautified women’s bodies. Short tufts running horizontally and vertically across the textile were created by inserting extra fibers, then cutting and fluffing them with a knife. These add texture and hide the seams between woven panels.
date
late 1800s–about 1906–12
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60748999
genreSpecific
Garment
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 73.7 x 102.9 cm (29 x 40 1/2 in.)
cul
Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mbuun-style weavers and embroiderers
accession
2013.5
Source extras
tec
Raffia palm fiber (Raphia ruffia or R. vinifera) and dye
tombstone
Woman's Skirt, late 1800s–about 1906–12. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mbuun-style weavers and embroiderers. Raffia palm fiber (Raphia ruffia or R. vinifera) and dye; overall: 73.7 x 102.9 cm (29 x 40 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Alma Kroeger Fund, 2013.5
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
The diamond motifs on this skirt have symbolic and cosmological links to lizards (<em>mbil</em>), an animal associated with matrilineal (female descent) clans.
citations
citation
Picton, John, and John Mack. <em>African Textiles</em>. London: Published for the Trustees of the British Museum by British Museum Publications, 1989.
page_number
p.199-200
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 41
citation
Petridis, Constantine. “2013 Acquisitions: African Art.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em> 54, no. 2 (March/April 2014): 22.
page_number
Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 22
creditline
Alma Kroeger Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:47:34.722000
sourceId
171076
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Raffia palm fiber (Raphia ruffia or R. vinifera) and dye
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
00d09a6b051790e7