Bracelet
ca. 1870-1880 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Unlike iron, copper, which is the main component of brass, was not available to the Zulu people locally in any great quantity. Instead it was acquired through European traders at Delagoa Bay (Mozambique) and traded to the Zulu by Thonga people living in the bay’s vicinity. Purchased in the form of unworked blocks, the Zulu used brass to create neck, leg and arm rings, beads and studs.
Rings of twisted or plaited wire (ubusenga) were made for the wrist, the upper arm and calf of the leg. The wire was wrapped around a core of plant fibre or animal hair to keep the ring flexible. Brass and copper beads were sometimes added as decoration. The rings became popular during the reign of the Zulu leader Cetshwayo (r.1872-1879). Today they are still worn but are more frequently made of lightweight aluminium.
Rings of twisted or plaited wire (ubusenga) were made for the wrist, the upper arm and calf of the leg. The wire was wrapped around a core of plant fibre or animal hair to keep the ring flexible. Brass and copper beads were sometimes added as decoration. The rings became popular during the reign of the Zulu leader Cetshwayo (r.1872-1879). Today they are still worn but are more frequently made of lightweight aluminium.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Coiled steel wire, cast brass and copper beads |
Brief description | Bracelet of coiled steel wire with brass and copper beads, Zulu, South Africa, ca. 1870-1880 |
Physical description | Bracelet of coiled steel wire wrapped around a core of plant fibre or animal hair, with brass and copper beads at intervals [one of three - see accessions register entry]. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Given by Jane Souter Hipkins |
Object history | Acessions register entry - 'Three bracelets. Fine iron wire coiled over a ring of horsehair with rings of brass or copper clipped over at intervals. South African (Kafir - this crossed out). Given by Miss Edith J. Hipkins in memory of her parents, the late A.J. Hipkins, F.S.A. and Jane Souter Hipkins (on labels to be described as "Given by Jane Souter Hipkins"). See RP 1270 M/1911. Given. Miss Edith J. Hipkins, 100 Warwick Gardens, SW. 11th March 1911. Authority for acceptance: Director's, 8th April 1911 (RP 11/1402 1/2 M).' Edith Hipkins (1854-1945; Wikipedia entry accessed 24 March 2018) was a British portrait painter. She was the daughter of Jane Souter (née Black) and the musicologist Alfred James Hipkins. Portraits of him by Edith are in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery and the Royal College of Music. |
Historical context | See - 'Prestige Ornaments, The use of brass in the Zulu kingdom', Carolee G. Kennedy, African Arts, vol. 24, no. 3, July 1991 |
Production | Zulu |
Summary | Unlike iron, copper, which is the main component of brass, was not available to the Zulu people locally in any great quantity. Instead it was acquired through European traders at Delagoa Bay (Mozambique) and traded to the Zulu by Thonga people living in the bay’s vicinity. Purchased in the form of unworked blocks, the Zulu used brass to create neck, leg and arm rings, beads and studs. Rings of twisted or plaited wire (ubusenga) were made for the wrist, the upper arm and calf of the leg. The wire was wrapped around a core of plant fibre or animal hair to keep the ring flexible. Brass and copper beads were sometimes added as decoration. The rings became popular during the reign of the Zulu leader Cetshwayo (r.1872-1879). Today they are still worn but are more frequently made of lightweight aluminium. |
Associated objects |
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Collection | |
Accession number | M.451-1911 |
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Record created | August 28, 2007 |
Record URL |
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