Cloth

CultureKuba

MediumPlant fiber

DimensionsOverall (with buckled fabric): 68 × 31 × 1 1/2 inches (172.72 × 78.74 × 3.81 cm)
Overall (with thickness of textile): 68 × 31 × 3/8 inches (172.72 × 78.74 × 0.95 cm)

Credit LineGift of Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, 2025

Object number2025.56.13

On View

Not on view

Terms

DescriptionThis Kuba woman's overskirt is constructed from several panels. The center panel is composed of two separate panels, both made from naturally colored cut-pile and embroidered raffia fibers. The cut pile and embroidered design is geometric in nature, consisting of embroidered diagonal lines that intersect to create various shapes, including squares, as well as interlocking "U" or horseshoe shapes. The cut pile design is done in a way that creates a dense pattern of tiny squares. The three narrow strips of cloth that make up the border panels are embellished with dark blue and light brown embroidery stitches that are likely a variation of the traditional "Woot" symbol.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Looking Again, Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, NM, August 4-November 3, 2023.

Provenance

With Liberty, London, UK, by February 11, 1993;

Purchased from Liberty London by Ralph T. Coe (1929-2010), Santa Fe, NM, February 11, 1993-2010 [1];

His bequest to the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, NM, 2010-2025;

The Coe Center’s gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2025.

NOTES:

[1] According to documentation provided by the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts at the time of the object’s gift, Nelson-Atkins curatorial files. The store is identified as “London Place” and “Liberaty London” in the documentation, but these are likely erroneous spellings/recordings of Liberty, the world-famous department store best known for its textiles. A receipt specifies the store as Liberty Plc on Regent Street in London.

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