Neckpiece with panel (umphapheni)
Unknown Artist
1800s–1900s
Medium
Glass beads, plant fiber, copper alloy, and iron
Dimensions
w. 68.6 cm
Classification
Jewelry
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
2010.207
About this artwork
Consisting of a tasseled length attached to a rectangular panel joined by metal buttons, this neckpiece (umphapheni) was likely worn along with waistbands and headpieces with the same color scheme and patterns. Joined together using stitches and zig-zag patterns popular around the turn of the 20th century, glass beadwork was heavy to wear. The fringe—typical of Zulu-style Northern Nguni beadwork—added additional weight. The imported glass beads testify to centuries of trade connections between s...