Exceptional 1930's Ndebele Beaded South African Zulu Wedding Cape. 15 Panels.

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Exceptional 1930's Ndebele Beaded South African Zulu Wedding Cape. 15 Panels.:
$1750.00

For sale is a wonderful and exquisite handmade original circa 1930s South African Zulu Ndebele Beaded Wedding Cape

Provenance: Cigna Insurance Compnany Art Collection; Hartford Connecticut

Possibly exhibited in the Exhibition: Wedded Bliss: The Marriage of Art and Ceremony, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, April 26-September 14, 2008.

The wedding cape with an unusually large number of beaded panels. This wedding Cape featuring 15 individual beaded panels, including one traditionally by the bride herself.

Made of fifteen (15) overlapping cloth panels each with beaded bands of multi-colored geometric and symbolic patterns. The panels are layered in sequence so that only the beaded bands are visible. The long white bead tails that hang from the center of the cape indicate that the bride had not borne children before marriage.

Traditionally, a bride herself created one of the bands, usually to convey a personal message. The bands with white fields were made by the bride's older relatives and those with black fields were the work of the younger generations.

Conditions: in overall good condition for age. Some small loss to the beating towards the bottom, right hand side, and a couple of panels but mostly in a very fine condition for age.

One of the best Zulu wedding capes that you can find for sale on the market today.

THIS ITEM WILL NOT SHIP ON THE LARGE FRAME UNLESS IT IS LOCAL PICKUP. THE CAPE WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE FRAMING AND SHIPPED SAFELY ROLLED ALONG WITH THE BACK CLOTH THSTNIT IS SEWN ONTO

Measurements:

Cape - 42 1/2" Long x 28" Wide (Approximately)

Framed - 44" x 32 5/8"