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
This headpiece (<em>nlo-o-ngo</em>) was made to look like a similarly shaped hairstyle. While the coiffure gained height from inserts tucked under the hair, here the underlying basket was woven into a central ridge. Plant fibers were woven or braided to mimic hairstyling techniques. Rarely removed, the hat gave the appearance of elaborately styled and decorated hair. Three rows of cowries around the band evoke a shell or bead headband, while the metal furniture tacks are the same as would have been inserted into the hair. Existing in many styles, men or women wore these wiglike headdresses to signify status, group identity, or social roles.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
148480
label
Headpiece (nlo-o-ngo)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
148480
contentType
object
title
Headpiece (nlo-o-ngo)
description
This headpiece (<em>nlo-o-ngo</em>) was made to look like a similarly shaped hairstyle. While the coiffure gained height from inserts tucked under the hair, here the underlying basket was woven into a central ridge. Plant fibers were woven or braided to mimic hairstyling techniques. Rarely removed, the hat gave the appearance of elaborately styled and decorated hair. Three rows of cowries around the band evoke a shell or bead headband, while the metal furniture tacks are the same as would have been inserted into the hair. Existing in many styles, men or women wore these wiglike headdresses to signify status, group identity, or social roles.
date
early 1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79928871
genreSpecific
Garment
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 15.2 x 17.8 x 20.3 cm (6 x 7 x 8 in.)
cul
Africa, Central Africa, Gabon, Fang style, unknown maker
accession
1976.1057
Source extras
tec
Plant fibers, cloth, hair, cowrie shells, buttons, upholstery studs, and thread
tombstone
Headpiece (nlo-o-ngo), early 1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Gabon, Fang style, unknown maker. Plant fibers, cloth, hair, cowrie shells, buttons, upholstery studs, and thread; overall: 15.2 x 17.8 x 20.3 cm (6 x 7 x 8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Harold T. Clark Educational Extension Fund, 1976.1057
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
Sculptors depicted these characteristic headpieces and coiffures in figurative works that guarded the remains of ancestors.
creditline
The Harold T. Clark Educational Extension Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:37:56.987000
sourceId
148480
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Plant fibers, cloth, hair, cowrie shells, buttons, upholstery studs, and thread
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
1f8947f1ef20dfa3