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Belt (Yeemy Mambolmashet)

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

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

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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