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Source Description
Kuba men (and some women) show their title and status with hats and hat accessories. The male owner of this heavily beaded and shell-covered hat (<em>kalyeem</em>) had a senior title. A simple coiled basketry hat forms its foundation (similar to 1915.465). Fabric panels stitched with zig-zagging white and blue beads edged in cowries hang from the top. White bead strands with cowrie shells flow downward, pushed out over the forehead by a large brim. Technically and aesthetically, beaded Kuba hats and masks have much in common; artists specializing in beading techniques had the skills to make both, using imported beads and shells.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
160469
label
Hat (Kalyeem)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
160469
contentType
object
title
Hat (Kalyeem)
description
Kuba men (and some women) show their title and status with hats and hat accessories. The male owner of this heavily beaded and shell-covered hat (<em>kalyeem</em>) had a senior title. A simple coiled basketry hat forms its foundation (similar to 1915.465). Fabric panels stitched with zig-zagging white and blue beads edged in cowries hang from the top. White bead strands with cowrie shells flow downward, pushed out over the forehead by a large brim. Technically and aesthetically, beaded Kuba hats and masks have much in common; artists specializing in beading techniques had the skills to make both, using imported beads and shells.
date
possibly early 1900s
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79981707
genreSpecific
Garment
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 29 x 23 x 23 cm (11 7/16 x 9 1/16 x 9 1/16 in.)
cul
Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kuba-style maker
accession
1998.29
Source extras
tec
Raffia, glass beads, cowrie shells, cloth (including wool), thread, and copper alloy
tombstone
Hat (Kalyeem), possibly early 1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kuba-style maker. Raffia, glass beads, cowrie shells, cloth (including wool), thread, and copper alloy; overall: 29 x 23 x 23 cm (11 7/16 x 9 1/16 x 9 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1998.29
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
The imported beads and shells on this hat were expensive, so they showed off its wearers' wealth.
citations
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, “Painting by 18th-century Italian Master Gaetano Gandolfi among Works Added to CMA Collection,” March 24, 1998, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
citation
Sims, Lowery Stokes. The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content, and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2006.
page_number
p. 118, color repr. p. 36 & 53
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:20:19.348000
sourceId
160469
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Raffia, glass beads, cowrie shells, cloth (including wool), thread, and copper alloy
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
bbb339e50780dfaa