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Source Description
Consisting of a tasseled length attached to a rectangular panel joined by metal buttons, this neckpiece (<em>umphapheni</em>) was likely worn along with waistbands and headpieces with the same color scheme and patterns. Joined together using stitches and zig-zag patterns popular around the turn of the 20th century, glass beadwork was heavy to wear. The fringe—typical of Zulu-style Northern Nguni beadwork—added additional weight. The imported glass beads testify to centuries of trade connections between southern Africa and Europe, while the brass buttons—probably drawn from a British soldier’s uniform—allude to the Anglo-Zulu conflicts of the 1800s.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
168428
label
Neckpiece with panel (umphapheni)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
168428
contentType
object
title
Neckpiece with panel (umphapheni)
description
Consisting of a tasseled length attached to a rectangular panel joined by metal buttons, this neckpiece (<em>umphapheni</em>) was likely worn along with waistbands and headpieces with the same color scheme and patterns. Joined together using stitches and zig-zag patterns popular around the turn of the 20th century, glass beadwork was heavy to wear. The fringe—typical of Zulu-style Northern Nguni beadwork—added additional weight. The imported glass beads testify to centuries of trade connections between southern Africa and Europe, while the brass buttons—probably drawn from a British soldier’s uniform—allude to the Anglo-Zulu conflicts of the 1800s.
date
1800s–1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60761109
genreSpecific
Jewelry
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 68.6 cm (27 in.)
cul
Africa, Southern African, South Africa, Southeast Cape Region, Northern Nguni (Zulu)-style maker
accession
2010.207
Source extras
tec
Glass beads, plant fiber, copper alloy, and iron
tombstone
Neckpiece with panel (umphapheni), 1800s–1900s. Africa, Southern African, South Africa, Southeast Cape Region, Northern Nguni (Zulu)-style maker. Glass beads, plant fiber, copper alloy, and iron; overall: 68.6 cm (27 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2010.207
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
The seed beads that make up this neckpiece were imported to southern Africa by European traders who tailored their wares to local tastes and color preferences; beads came first from Venice and Murano, and later from Bohemia in the twentieth century.
citations
citation
Pemberton, John, III. African Beaded Art" Power and Adornment, exh. cat. Northampton, Massachusetts: Smith College Museum of Art, 2008, cat. 101
citation
“Exhibitions through November 2022.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine </em>vol. 62, no. 3 (September 2022): 13.
page_number
Reproduced: P. 13.
creditline
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:39:47.773000
sourceId
168428
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Glass beads, plant fiber, copper alloy, and iron
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
7137084206f56274