id:			94894
accession number:	1915.453
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1915.453
updated:		2020-11-20 10:00:05.378000

Comb (cisakulo), mid- to late 1800s. Africa, Central Africa, Angola or Democratic Republic of Congo, Chokwe carver. Wood, glass beads, and natural fibers; overall: 13.3 x 8 x 1.4 cm (5 1/4 x 3 1/8 x 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Harold T. Clark Educational Extension Fund 1915.453

title:				Comb (cisakulo)
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			mid- to late 1800s
creation date earliest:		1850
creation date latest:		1899
current location:		
creditline:			The Harold T. Clark Educational Extension Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Africa, Central Africa, Angola or Democratic Republic of Congo, Chokwe carver
technique:	Wood, glass beads, and natural fibers
department:	African Art
collection:	African Art
type:		Jewelry
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 13.3 x 8 x 1.4 cm (5 1/4 x 3 1/8 x 9/16 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	F. M. Rapp (1915)
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact: 
Chokwe men and women both wore decorative hair combs; the double birds on this one are the long-beaked <em>ngungu</em>, a kind of hornbill linked to hunting and the related power of leaders.

digital description: 


wall description: 
Chokwe women inserted finely decorated combs and pins in their hair to signal rank and wealth. Here, as among neighboring peoples, coiffures reveal regional and temporal fashions and trends. Certain styles are exclusive to chiefs and other dignitaries. In addition to being a sign of beauty and good health, a well-groomed hairdo also suggests that the wearer relies on the help of others in its creation.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	Wixom, WIlliam D. "African Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art." <em>African Arts</em>. 10, no. 3. (April 1977) 16-25.
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: p.16, fig. 1
	url:		https://www.jstor.org/stable/3335296

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1915.453/1915.453_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1915.453/1915.453_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1915.453/1915.453_full.tif