Belt (Yeemy Mambolmashet)

19th century

Kuba
Kasai region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central Africa

In the Kuba Kingdom, ceremonial occasions require ostentatious displays of wealth and status through dress and other attributes. Specialized male artists excel in the making of beaded regalia like the belt displayed here. They sew both beads and shells onto a woven raffia foundation to create geometric designs. The interlaced pattern on this belt, called imbol, is a favorite Kuba motif that can also be seen on the raffia skirts worn with such beaded ornaments.

Status: On View, Gallery 137
Department: Arts of Africa

Culture: Kuba
Title: Belt (Yeemy Mambolmashet)
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: 223.5 × 13.3 × 1.3 cm (88 1/4 × 5 1/4 × 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Richard Faletti, the Faletti Family Collection
Reference Number: 1997.699
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/148326/manifest.json

Art Institute of Chicago, African Artistry: Gifts from the Faletti Family Collection, Oct. 5–May 18, 2003, Gallery 142, no. cat.

Nève de Mévergnies Family, before 1910 [see receipt from Deletaille in file]; Emile Deletaille, Brussels, by 1984; sold to Richard J. Faletti (died 2006) and Barbara Faletti (died 2000), Chicago, Ill. and Phoenix, Ariz., 1984; given to the Art Institute, 1997.

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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.

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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.