Weavers of various groups that were a part of the Kingdom of Kongo were among the most highly skilled in Africa, and their work was greatly admired by early European voyagers from the 16th to 18th centuries, both for technical skill and aesthetic values. In particular these early accounts mention caps. Constructed by overhand knots or complex knotless loops, these caps usually are made of pineapple or raffia fiber. They are worn as symbols of status and authority by political leaders and by men, women and children of noble families. Additional documentation of caps being worn by the mothers of future leaders can be found in Kongo sculptures; similar carved caps adorn two Kongo woman and child figures in this museum's collection (83-3-6; 86-12-12).
Description:
Hemispherical plant fiber cap covered with interlaced, chevron and plaited designs in relief achieved by fiber knotting techniques.
Provenance:
Belgian colonial official, before World War II
Marie-Eliane d'Udekem d'Acoz, New York, -- to 1984
Exhibition History:
The World Moves, We Follow: Celebrating African Art, Frank H. McClung Museum, Knoxville, January 10-May 18, 2003
Africa: The Art of a Continent, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, June 5-September 29, 1996
Published References:
Dewey, William J. 2003. The World Moves, We Follow: Celebrating African Art. Knoxville: Frank H. McClung Museum, The University of Tennessee, p. 38, no. 36.
National Museum of African Art. 1999. Selected works from the collection of the National Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, pp. 113-114, no. 78B.
Content Statement:
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