id: 159880 accession number: 1997.180 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1997.180 updated: 2023-08-23 23:39:20.497000 Prestige Cap (mpu ngola), late 1800s-early 1900s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, or Cabinda (Angola), Kongo-style maker, possibly Yombe subgroup. Raffia palm fiber (Raphia ruffia or R. vinifera) and leopard claws; overall: 42 x 19.3 x 19 cm (16 9/16 x 7 5/8 x 7 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1997.180 title: Prestige Cap (mpu ngola) title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: late 1800s-early 1900s creation date earliest: 1875 creation date latest: 1925 current location: creditline: John L. Severance Fund copyright: --- culture: Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, or Cabinda (Angola), Kongo-style maker, possibly Yombe subgroup technique: Raffia palm fiber (Raphia ruffia or R. vinifera) and leopard claws department: African Art collection: African Art type: Garment find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 42 x 19.3 x 19 cm (16 9/16 x 7 5/8 x 7 1/2 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art opening date: 2006-06-09T00:00:00 The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA), Cleveland, OH (June 9-August 20, 2006). title: Kongo: Power and Majesty opening date: 2015-09-18T00:00:00 Kongo: Power and Majesty. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (September 18, 2015-January 3, 2016). title: Stories From Storage opening date: 2021-02-07T05:00:00 Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE Captain-Commandant Alfred Lens, Congo, AF, 1891-1903, field-collected. date: 1891-1903 footnotes: citations: Captain-Commandant Alfred Lens, Belgium, BE, 1995, by descent to his family. date: ?-1995 footnotes: citations: (Jacques Hautelet, La Jolla, CA, 1997, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) date: ?-1997 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 1997- footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: The geometric motifs on this mpu cap—including diamonds and interlaces—are seen on Kongo, Vili, and Yombe works in other materials, including ivory and basketry. digital description: Zimpu (singular: mpu) are intricately knotted caps worn by men in parts of Central Africa. Ringed with leopard claws, this long cap (mpu ngola) once belonged to a high-status man; the fierce feline attachments alluded to his personal qualities, as both were seen as leaders in their domains. Its interlacing motifs appear across artforms made by the Kongo, Vili, and Yombe peoples. When new, caps draped over the head. However, raffia fibers stiffen over time. To support this now-delicate ngola, the CMA’s conservators mounted it upright. Known since at least 1607 in the former Loango Kingdom, as well as the adjacent Kongo Kingdom, such caps were once made by noblemen and worn into at least the 1980s. wall description: Among the Kongo peoples of west-central Africa, traditional village chiefs and rulers hold authority over political, judicial and economic spheres. They are also ritual leaders, expected to intercede with spirits and ancestors to maintain the well-being of the community. The chief's power is manifested through a variety of powerful implements, including fly whisks, execution swords, and ivory scepters. Among the most important symbols of a chief's authority is the cap. Power is transferred to the new chief along with the cap of his predecessor. In fact, the village leader's title means "Chief of the Cap." Crafted with a complex combination of looping and knotting, this cap formed part of a high-ranking chief's regalia, as indicated by its height and elaborate patterning. The presence of leopard claws on the crown confirms the high status of its owner, for the leopard is considered to be the ruler of the animal realm. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS Petridis, Constantine. South of the Sahara: Selected Works of African Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art; Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press (distributor), 2003, 17, fig. 6. page number: p. 17: fig. 6 url: Sims, Lowery Stokes. The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2006, 118; color repr. p. 53, no. 46. page number: p. 118; color repr. p. 53 url: Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. page number: Mentioned and reproduced: P. 40 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1997.180/1997.180_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1997.180/1997.180_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1997.180/1997.180_full.tif