beaded collar

unrecorded Zulu artist, artist

beaded collar, late 1800s–1966

Where object was made: Union of South Africa (present-day South Africa)

Material/technique: beading; shell

Dimensions:
Object Diameter (Diameter): 30 cm
Object Diameter (Diameter): 11 13/16 in

Credit line: Gift of Barbara Michener

Accession number: 2007.3551

Not on display

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Zulu and other southern African artists have a long history of beading traditions. Beginning in the 1400s, artists replaced wood, shell, bone, seed, and stone beads with brightly colored glass beads introduced by Portuguese, English, and Dutch colonizers. The geometric designs could communicate a lot about the wearer of these items, and the colors hold symbolic meaning. Today, beadwork provides important financial support for artists, who now use plastic beads for items made for tourists.