Three miniature  “woven currency” panels
DR Congo, possibly Teke or Tetela peoples
Early 20th century
Raffia, natural dyes
16 x 13; 14 x 14; and 14 x 13 ins   ( 40.5 x 33 cm, 35.5 x 35.5, and 35.5 x 33 cm)

A set of three ultra-fine woven, luminous raffia cloths, adorned with lyrical sequences and clusters of dyed stripes, speak to a minimalist aesthetic of contemporary art as much as to the status and wealth they signified in their original context throughout the pre-colonial Congo, where such cloths were commodities of value (hence the European term currency) for trade, bridewealth, and chiefly and funerary tribute.

$1200 (sold as a set)