Currently not on view
Collar,
20th century
Beaded objects were worn by members of the Kuba royal family as part of lavish costumes for public display. Kuba beadwork is linked to an inventive and complex design tradition that balances symmetry with asymmetry. Its patterns extend across a range of media to decorate royal regalia, raffia cloth, and bodies and to communicate social status. This collar features a floral pattern comprising four cowrie shells and a blue and white beadwork design of alternating right angle triangles that form two-tone squares known as lantshoong.
Information
20th century
Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
John B. Elliott, New York, NY; Princeton University Art Museum, 1998
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