Asymmetry and improvisation—qualities seen in the textile tradition of West Africa, where woven strips with patterns are often sewn together to make a larger, unpredictable design—are characteristics of many African American quilts, including this example. The diamond motif on this quilt can also be viewed as a symbolic form seen in African American paintings, houses, and gravestones and representing the four directions, or the four moments, of the Kongo sun: birth, life, death, and rebirth.

Elizabeth V. Warren, "Diamond Four-Patch in Cross Quilt," exhibition label for QUILTS: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum. Elizabeth V. Warren, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2010.