Minneapolis Institute of Art

Royal belt

Kuba artist

Date

mid 20th century

Medium

Leather, cotton, shells, glass beads, brass, twine, pigments

Culture

Kuba

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Every Kuba man or woman had the right to wear specific costume elements reflecting their status and enabling others to identify their title and prestige. But only the king, his immediate family, and a few very high-level titleholders could wear a belt holding multiple small pendants covered with beads and cowries. This belt has 23 of them, including a ram’s head, double bells, and harps. The large shells are from the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts, a testament to the king’s control over long-distance trade. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa

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