Teke Chief's Raffia Skirt
DR Congo
Late 19th century

Size: 45 x 92 inches  (115 x 234 cm)

A very rare man's skirt of extremely finely woven, layered raffia panels, with long fringes and seams contributing texture to this very minimal style.

Provenance
Ex collection of The Reverend Francis G. Exell, a missionary teacher in the Congo, 1908-1935 

Reference
Roy Sieber, African Textiles and Decorative Arts (New York, The Museum of Modern Art, 1972), page 165, for a related example in The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, collected in 1903. 

Price: $12,500