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Catalog Data

Maker:
Ndebele artist  Search this
Medium:
Glass beads, plant fiber
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 18.6 x 15.2 x 9.3 cm (7 5/16 x 6 x 3 11/16 in.)
Type:
Sculpture
Geography:
South Africa
Date:
Mid-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. The beaded rings that encircle the dolls' arms are patterned after the actual arm rings worn by Ndebele women.
Description:
Beaded doll with round head and pink face, and a body made of stacked rings of white, blue, red, green and pink with white bead strand arms with four armlets per arm.
Provenance:
Constance Stuart Larrabee, South Africa, 1937-1949 to 2000
Exhibition History:
Pavilion: A New Look, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 9, 2019–ongoing
African Mosaic: Selections from the Permanent Collection, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2013–August 12, 2019 (deinstalled July 9, 2019)
African Mosaic: Celebrating a Decade of Collecting, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2010-November 13, 2013
Art of the Personal Object, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 24, 1991-April 9, 2007
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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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:
Bequest of Constance Stuart Larrabee
Object number:
2000-27-5
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
On View:
NMAfA, Pavilion Gallery
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys734f4115e-c78d-4e3d-b084-742b39afc5f0
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_2000-27-5