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© Bruce M. White, 2012.
Apron (Umaphotholo)
© Bruce M. White, 2012.
© Bruce M. White, 2012.
© Bruce M. White, 2012.
ClassificationsAfrican Art

Apron (Umaphotholo)

Place CreatedSouth Africa, Africa
CultureNdebele
Dateca. 1940
Credit LineGift of Norma Canelas Roth and William D. Roth
Dimensions22 1/4 in. (56.5 cm)
Object number2005.088.001
Label TextThis type of beaded apron is made and worn by Ndzundza Ndebele women of South Africa. The art form emerged after the Ndzundza Ndebele peoples were defeated in the late 1880s by the Boers and physically dispersed. At around the same time, tiny glass seed beads from Europe became available through trade and Ndzundza Ndebele women began to bead bold geometric designs onto clothing. Not only did women stitch these eye catching designs onto clothing, they also painted them onto the exterior walls of homesteads. Through art, the scattered nation retained its identity.

In the early twentieth century, beadwork designs were dominated by a white color field and included only a few randomly placed geometric designs rendered in color. After the 1930s Ndebele aesthetics changed. As more colors of beads became available on the market, women began to include a wide range of colors and filled the composition with larger geometric and figurative motifs.

This type of apron called Umaphotholo apron is one of three types of aprons worn by married women and is made by brides in preparation for marriage. The two side flaps at the bottom of the apron represent the marriage partners and the many small tassels between signify the expectation of children that the couple will bear.

ProvenanceEx coll. William and Norma (1944-2022) Roth, United States.
Status
Not on view
Collections
  • African Art
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early 20th Century
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late 19th-early 20th Century
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late 19th-mid 20th Century
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late 1st-2nd Century CE
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1539-1292 BCE
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1980-1760 BCE
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20th Century