Artwork Page for Neckpiece with panel (umphapheni)

Details / Information for Neckpiece with panel (umphapheni)

Neckpiece with panel (umphapheni)

1800s–1900s
Measurements
Overall: 68.6 cm (27 in.)
Credit Line
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

The seed beads that make up this neckpiece were imported to southern Africa by European traders who tailored their wares to local tastes and color preferences; beads came first from Venice and Murano, and later from Bohemia in the twentieth century.

Description

Consisting of a tasseled length attached to a rectangular panel joined by metal buttons, this neckpiece (umphapheni) was likely worn along with waistbands and headpieces with the same color scheme and patterns. Joined together using stitches and zig-zag patterns popular around the turn of the 20th century, glass beadwork was heavy to wear. The fringe—typical of Zulu-style Northern Nguni beadwork—added additional weight. The imported glass beads testify to centuries of trade connections between southern Africa and Europe, while the brass buttons—probably drawn from a British soldier’s uniform—allude to the Anglo-Zulu conflicts of the 1800s.
A beaded neckpiece features an arched collar of red beads and a thick, radiating black fringe, where each strand is tipped with a white bead. Below hangs a rectangular panel displaying nested V-shaped chevrons in red, black, light pink, and turquoise blue. A small metal bell and beaded loop attach the panel on the left side, while the collar's textured arc frames the geometric patterns of the pendant.

Neckpiece with panel (umphapheni)

1800s–1900s

Africa, Southern African, South Africa, Southeast Cape Region, Northern Nguni (Zulu)-style maker

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