Ndebele Beaded Anklet South Africa Sidley Collection
Width: 5.5
Depth: 5.5
Description
An anklet in the form of a circular ring nicely decorated with tiny glass beads in brown, black, and white. Such beadwork is worn around the ankle of married women as part of their ceremonial attire. The anklet is in good condition and can still be worn.
The Ndebele of South Africa are superb bead workers. The women used to wear brass rings around their necks and legs. A few still do, but most now have gold plastic replicas with velcro, worn on ceremonial occasions. They wear heavily beaded aprons decorated in geometric designs similar to those used to paint their houses. They wear beaded blankets like large shawls, and beadwork on their arms, ankles, and heads.
Provenance: Niña Sidley Collection
After a long career in publishing, Niña Sidley returned to her first love: collecting the art, artifacts, and textiles of the world’s indigenous peoples. Part of her mission has been to educate others and to honor the extraordinary creativity, ingenuity, and heartfelt messages these hand made works send from their makers. Niña believes this deep respect for tradition and beauty inspires and ties all of us together as one world.
Height (In): 2.0
Width (In): 5.5
Depth (In): 5.5
149023
Approximate Age: 20th Century
People: Ndebele
Country of Origin: South Africa
Material
Condition
Overall Condition: Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.