Object Details
- Zulu artist
- Label Text
- This is a wedding cape (Izikoti) made of thirteen overlapping cloth panels edged with beaded bands of multi-colored geometric patterns. The panels are layered in sequence so that only the beaded bands are visible. The long white bead tails that hang from the center of the cape indicate that the bride had not borne children before marriage.
- Traditionally, a bride herself created one of the bands, usually to convey a personal message. The bands with white fields were made by the bride's older relatives and those with black fields were the work of the younger generations.
- Description
- Rectangular cape made of thirteen overlapping cloth panels edged with beaded bands of multi-colored geometric patterns. The panels are layered in sequence so that only the beaded bands are visible. Long white bead tails hang from the center of the cape.
- Provenance
- Unidentified farmer, Drakensburg area, South Africa, ca. 1930 to ca. 1949
- Ken Karner, Franschhoek, South Africa, -- to 1990
- Michael Oliver, New York, 1990 to 1999
- Exhibition History
- Life Objects: Rites of Passage in African Art, Princeton University Art Museum, September 19, 2009-January 24, 2010
- Wedded Bliss: The Marriage of Art and Ceremony, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, April 26-September 14, 2008, no. 115
- Published References
- Richter, Paula Bradstreet (ed). 2008. Wedded Bliss: The Marriage of Art and Ceremony.
- Salem: Peabody Essex Museum; Hanover: distributed by University Press of New England, pp. 154-155, no. 115.
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase
- Early 20th century
- Object number
- 99-4-2
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Textile and Fiber Arts
- Medium
- Cloth, beads, metal buttons
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 98 x 93 x 3 cm (38 9/16 x 36 5/8 x 1 3/16 in.)
- Geography
- South Africa
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- Object Name
- Izikoti
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- Marriage
- Adornment
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_99-4-2
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys712fe1c11-a766-419e-a3e9-efadbc823843
