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Source Description
This is an exquisite example of a rare type of swallowtail-shaped apron worn by young female initiates until the mid-19th century. On the upper portion, the black beads were applied in such a way that they can be read as a human face or even as a full figure. In fact, the overall form of the apron can be viewed as representing the lower torso and legs of a woman with a neatly marked pubic region.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
168427
label
Under apron (iinkciya)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
168427
contentType
object
title
Under apron (iinkciya)
description
This is an exquisite example of a rare type of swallowtail-shaped apron worn by young female initiates until the mid-19th century. On the upper portion, the black beads were applied in such a way that they can be read as a human face or even as a full figure. In fact, the overall form of the apron can be viewed as representing the lower torso and legs of a woman with a neatly marked pubic region.
date
1800s–1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60760348
genreSpecific
Garment
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 34 x 18 x 2.5 cm (13 3/8 x 7 1/16 x 1 in.)
cul
Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Xhosa-style (South Nguni) maker
accession
2010.206
Source extras
tec
Leather, glass beads, and sinew
tombstone
Under apron (iinkciya), 1800s–1900s. Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Xhosa-style (South Nguni) maker. Leather, glass beads, and sinew; overall: 34 x 18 x 2.5 cm (13 3/8 x 7 1/16 x 1 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2010.206
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
Women made beaded "aprons" like this to wear <em>under</em> their clothes on festive occasions in the nineteenth century; expensive imported beads were a sign of wealth and status.
citations
citation
Conru, Kevin, Anne de Knock, and Conru Primitive Art (Firm). 2005. <em>Conru : Southeast African and Oceanic Art</em>. Brussels: Conru, p. 17 and back cover.
citation
Pemberton, John, and Smith College Museum of Art. 2008. <em>African Beaded Art : Power and Adornment</em>. Northampton, Mass: Smith College Museum of Art, cat. 101.
citation
Petridis, Constantijn, Karel Nel, and Cleveland Museum of Art. 2011. <em>The Art of Daily Life : Portable Objects from Southeast Africa</em>. Cleveland, Milan, New York: Cleveland Museum of Art ; 5 Continents Editions ; Distributed in U.S. by Harry N. Abrams, p. 67, fig. 4 and p. 71, fig. 13.
citation
Petridis, Constantine. "The Art of Daily Life." <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em> 51, no. 3 (May/June 2011): 6-7.
page_number
Menttioned and reproduced: p. 7
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 41
citation
Rondeau, James, Constantijn Petridis, Yaëlle Biro, Herbert M. Cole, Kassim Kone, Babatunde Lawal, Wilfried Van Damme, and Susan Mullin Vogel. <em>The language of beauty in African art. </em>2022.
creditline
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:39:46.961000
sourceId
168427
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Leather, glass beads, and sinew
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
989dd63d79589ad4