Kapa (tapa), late 1700s

Description

This is a rectangular piece of kapa (tapa or barkcloth) from Hawai'i, cut from a larger piece. There is a seam where two pieces were sewn together before decorating, and a plain border at one end is part of the outer border of the original larger kapa. The hand-painted decoration, in rich orange and black, consists of tapering and expanding elongated wedges of geometric design, separated by plain borders. Each wedge in the central decoration is divided into two design zones by a narrow longitudinal line. It was made in the late 18th century and measures 129.0 cm x 63.5 cm.

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