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https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=9483B6B0B4A363BE45E85E36154B6FE48EB15F74078F9A14638AF017170D9947&s=24247294&se=1128270358&v=0&f=2010.207_o2.jpg
https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=4D86F4F550983B1A2E127AB2AC0233EB317A75698B691D8E4C25B7760A35ED3C&s=24247294&se=1128270358&v=1&f=%5C2010.207det01_o2.jpg
Aug 25, 2010
Aug 25, 2010
Neckpiece with panel (umphapheni)
Neckpiece with panel (umphapheni)
1800s–1900s
Glass beads, plant fiber, copper alloy, and iron
Overall: 68.6 cm (27 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2010.207
Location
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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.
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