Container
1700–1899
- Medium
- Rattan, wood, and twine
- Dimensions
- 34.9 × 55.9 × 26.7 cm (13 3/4 × 22 × 10 1/2 in.)
- Genre
- container
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
rattanluxuryCentral Africastoragetwinebasketrygeometriccontainerwood (plant material)african Artarts of Africahouseholdweaving
About
Basketwork boxes decorated with interlocking geometric patterns were produced in the Congolese region and adjacent Angola well into the 20th century. Such containers were used for the storage of luxury wares including raffia textiles and ivory accessories. Some were exported to Europe as early as the mid-17th century and became part of the collections of royals and wealthy aristocrats.