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Pendant Belt (Nkody Mupaap)

A work made of jute, raffia, cowrie shells, and beads.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of jute, raffia, cowrie shells, and beads.

Date:

19th century

Artist:

Kuba
Kasai region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central Africa

About this artwork

Since the inception of the Kuba Kingdom in the 16th century, individuals have signaled court rank and status with their elaborate dress. Glass beads imported from Europe and cowrie shells from the Indian Ocean have been used in the production of such accoutrements since the 18th century. Exclusively owned by men, bead- and shell-covered belts and pendants like this pre-1910 examples are still worn in combination with voluminous textile skirt-wrappers by both Kuba royalty and Kuba masqueraders. [See also 1997.460]

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Kuba

Title

Pendant Belt (Nkody Mupaap)

Place

Democratic Republic of the Congo (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1801–1900

Medium

Jute, raffia, cowrie shells, and beads

Dimensions

165.1 × 14 × 2.5 cm (65 × 5 1/2 × 1 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Richard J. Faletti, the Faletti Family Collection

Reference Number

1997.461

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/148325/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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