Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
When wild game was still plentiful in the region, real animal claws would have been used to punctuate beaded prestige necklaces. Lion-claw necklaces were the exclusive property of royalty while the bone imitations were owned and worn by high-ranking individuals of lesser status. Large red glass beads were also reserved for the Nguni elite in the period before the destruction of the Zulu kingdom in 1879.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
168479
label
Necklace (amazipho)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
168479
contentType
object
title
Necklace (amazipho)
description
When wild game was still plentiful in the region, real animal claws would have been used to punctuate beaded prestige necklaces. Lion-claw necklaces were the exclusive property of royalty while the bone imitations were owned and worn by high-ranking individuals of lesser status. Large red glass beads were also reserved for the Nguni elite in the period before the destruction of the Zulu kingdom in 1879.
date
1800s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60779632
genreSpecific
Jewelry
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 38.1 cm (15 in.)
cul
Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Southeast Cape Region, Northern Nguni (Zulu)-style maker
accession
2010.231
Source extras
tec
Glass beads, bone, and sinew
tombstone
Necklace (amazipho), 1800s. Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Southeast Cape Region, Northern Nguni (Zulu)-style maker. Glass beads, bone, and sinew; overall: 38.1 cm (15 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Dori and Daniel Rootenberg in memory of Estelle Rosenberg, 2010.231
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
Large red glass beads like the ones in this necklace were reserved for the Nguni elite.
citations
citation
Christie's. "Arts d'Afrique. Collection de Madame Van den Abbeele," Paris, June 12, 2003, lot 121; Pemberton, John, III. African Beaded Art: Power and Adornment, exh. cat. Northampton, Massachusetts: Smith College Museum of Art, 2008, vii (detail) and cat. 127.
creditline
Gift of Dori and Daniel Rootenberg in memory of Estelle Rosenberg
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:39:53.729000
sourceId
168479
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Glass beads, bone, and sinew
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
e86f6c2a4e0327b5