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Source Description
Attributed to Kuba peoples of southeast Democratic Republic of Congo, this prestige belt boasts superb craftsmanship. The accumulation of a variety of materials indicates the high status of its wearer. It is made from leather strips and finely accessorized with a combination of intricately patterned bead designs, cowries, seashells, and bells. It would have been worn over a large raffia skirt by a man during ceremonial occasions. It was acquired from the Belgian dealer Jacques Hautelet in 1994.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
157555
label
Royal Belt (yet)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
157555
contentType
object
title
Royal Belt (yet)
description
Attributed to Kuba peoples of southeast Democratic Republic of Congo, this prestige belt boasts superb craftsmanship. The accumulation of a variety of materials indicates the high status of its wearer. It is made from leather strips and finely accessorized with a combination of intricately patterned bead designs, cowries, seashells, and bells. It would have been worn over a large raffia skirt by a man during ceremonial occasions. It was acquired from the Belgian dealer Jacques Hautelet in 1994.
date
possibly early 1900s
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79974025
genreSpecific
Garment
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 139.5 cm (54 15/16 in.)
cul
Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kuba Kingdom, Kuba-style maker
accession
1994.87
Source extras
tec
Plant fiber, rawhide or leather, glass beads, seashells, cowrie shells, cloth, and colorant
tombstone
Royal Belt (yet), possibly early 1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kuba Kingdom, Kuba-style maker. Plant fiber, rawhide or leather, glass beads, seashells, cowrie shells, cloth, and colorant; overall: 139.5 cm (54 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1994.87
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
Cowry shells, a type of currency used in the Kuba Kingdom in Central Africa, decorate this belt made for a king. The intricate patterns and colors of the beads indicate the high status of the wearer as well as the wealth of his kingdom.
citations
citation
Young-Sánchez, Margaret. "The Cleveland Museum of Art." African Arts 30, no. 1 (1997): 66-71, repr. p. 66.
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisitions to the Cleveland Museum of Art Collection,” August 26, 1994, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
citation
Petridis, Constantijn. <em>South of the Sahara: selected works of African art. </em>Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003.
page_number
Reproduced: cat. 36, p. 102 - 103
citation
Nzewi, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. <em>Second Careers : Two Tributaries in African Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2019
page_number
Mentioned: p. 22, 32; reproduced: p. 62, pl. 8.
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em>. Vol. 38 no. 05, May 1998
page_number
Mentioned & reproduced: p. 2
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:11:48.018000
sourceId
157555
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Plant fiber, rawhide or leather, glass beads, seashells, cowrie shells, cloth, and colorant
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
fae4f5045c15e6da