1781 Rare Vintage Kuba Beaded Belt with Shells Less than $2500 Note the motifs created by

Note the motifs created by the blank spaces

Each card is 5cm diameter

approx 145cm x 97cm

also known as Puri Patta or Jatripatri has been painted on cloth using natural colors

Acquired from a museum store

1781 Rare Vintage Kuba Beaded Belt with Shells Less than $2500 Note the motifs created byVintage Kuba beaded belt with uncommon Congo cowrie shells With beads in three colors sand cowrie shells of two types from the Kuba People. This belt is a part of a larger ensemble Note the two large knots. Note also the clusters of unique cowrie shells with undulating uneven edges (last few photos have details). The inclusion of these twenty+ shells elevated the value of the belt even at the time of production. Because cowrie shells embodied wealth,