The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 20, 2025
Sidelocks and Elements of Wig Decoration
1980–1801 BCE
(2040–1648 BCE)
Average: 1 cm (3/8 in.)
Location: 108C Akan & Yoruba
Description
Elite Egyptian people once elaborately styled their hair or wore costly wigs to show their status. To further beautify their locks, women and men alike wove or sewed ornaments into their wigs or onto textiles draped over them. While most historical Egyptian wigs disintegrated over centuries, sculptures and friezes show how people wore these shining ornaments. Made from silver, curved sidelock pendants attached to braid ends or dangled on the forehead. Also of silver, tubes slid over braids or sectioned hair. Floral rosettes could have been sewn throughout, adding visual interest and reflecting the light with their faceted surfaces. While acquired together, these ornaments weren’t necessarily part of a set.- Purchased in Egypt by Lucy Olcott Perkins through Henry W. Kent
- Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999 Reproduced: p. 174; Mentioned: p. 174Ellington, Tameka N., Joseph L. Underwood, and Sarah Rogers-Lafferty. Textures: The History and Art of Black Hair. 2020. p. 83
- Silver, Gold, and Gems: A Spotlight on Jewelry Across Africa. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 7, 2025-December 6, 2026).Textures: The Art and History of Black Hair. Kent State University Museum, Kent, OH (organizer) (September 10, 2021-August 14, 2022) https://www.kent.edu/museum/event/textures-history-and-art-black-hair.
- {{cite web|title=Sidelocks and Elements of Wig Decoration|url=false|author=|year=1980–1801 BCE|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1914.795