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Catalog Data

Maker:
Ndebele artist  Search this
Medium:
Glass beads, fiber, plastic, tacks
Dimensions:
H x W: 21.5 x 11.8 cm (8 7/16 x 4 5/8 in.)
Type:
Sculpture
Geography:
South Africa
Date:
Late 20th century
Label Text:
Most dolls, in Africa and throughout the world, are used by children--primarily girls--to help them imagine their future roles as adult women, mothers and the primary caregivers in their communities. Though used in play, the forms of many dolls encode important social and aesthetic concepts about appropriate demeanor and the links between physical and moral beauty. Not surprisingly, dolls in different African societies emphasize--in form and decoration--aspects of ideal feminine beauty to include elaborate coiffures, body ornamentation and physical features that underscore the importance of fertility.
Beaded Ndebele dolls are made for adolescent girls either by their mothers or by the girls themselves as beadwork samplers. Thumbtacks as well as beads are used for decoration. The beaded rings that encircle the dolls' arms are patterned after the actual arm rings worn by Ndebele women.
Description:
Glass beaded doll with seven body rings in white, blues, purples, green and black. The purple face is topped by an openwork white and blue headdress. Braided strands of blue beads form the arms, and each are circled with five armlets. Silver toned tacks decorate three body rings. Mulit-colored beads circle the neck, and a green fiber tassle is attached to the headdress.
Provenance:
Norman and Suzanne Priebatsch, collected Dennilton area, South Africa, -- to 1978
Chaim and Renee Gross, New York, 1978 to 1983
Exhibition History:
Art and History Gallery at the Corning Museum, Corning, NY, April 7, 1995-November 22, 1998
Designs of the Ndebele, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, 1979-1981
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
Topic:
Female use  Search this
male  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Chaim Gross
Object number:
83-12-26
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys775d1eec9-732f-4f2d-8267-6bff1821f369
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_83-12-26