Cleveland Museum of Art
Royal ceremonial beadwork: anklet (izitsaba)
- Date
- 1800s
- Medium
- Glass beads and sinew
- Culture
- Africa, Southern Africa, South Africa, Southeast Cape Region, Unknown female Xhosa-style maker(s)
- Department
- African Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Elite Xhosa women once wore beaded garments like this on festive occasions. Made almost completely from imported Venetian or Bohemian glass beads, they were overt status symbols. Imported beads functioned as money for the Xhosa between circa 1770 and 1829. These garments’ female maker carefully selected beads of the highest quality, uniform in color, shape, and size. The beads to make an ensemble like this cost several cattle in the early 1800s, an amount most couldn't afford.
The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Cleveland Museum of Art and other institutions.
Royal ceremonial beadwork: anklet (izitsaba)
Cleveland Museum of Art
Ceremonial beadwork for a Xhosa royal woman: headdress (umnqwazi), pendant, breast cover (incebetha), pair of anklets (izitsaba)
Cleveland Museum of Art
Royal ceremonial beadwork: breast cover (incebetha)
Cleveland Museum of Art
Royal ceremonial beadwork: pendant
Cleveland Museum of Art
Royal ceremonial headdress (umnqwazi)
Cleveland Museum of Art
Under apron (iinkciya)
Cleveland Museum of Art
Belt (Yeemy Mambolmashet)
Art Institute of Chicago
Pendant
Art Institute of Chicago
Dress
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Necklace Bead and Pair of Pendants in the Shape of an Auspicious Symbol
Cleveland Museum of Art
Pendant Belt (Nkody Mupaap)
Art Institute of Chicago
Coronet (oríkògbófo)
Cleveland Museum of Art