Ndebele
Married Woman’s Apron (Amaphotho)
Ndebele, 1933-1999
Scroll
Ndebele
Married Woman’s Apron (Amaphotho)
Ndebele, 1933-1999
Physical Qualities
Canvas, goatskin, glass beads (white, black, light yellow, blue, royal blue, pink, green, and purple; translucent yellow, green, red, navy blue, and turquoise), cotton thread, 19 9/16 × 16 in. (49.7 × 40.7 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Caroline Popper, Baltimore
Object Number
1991.368
Skin sewn to top and bottom of central canvas rectangle. Rigid roll decorated with white beads sewn in diagonal line. Edge of hide, under roll has fringe of red, black, white and royal blue. Canvas ground outlined in white with black rectangles, 3 on each side and 3 on top, filled with solid colors, one of top rectangles has multicolor fill. Central canvas panel has 3 decorated zones. Sides each have a backwards 'Z' in white with black rectangle filled with solid color on 4 ends. White strip extends from each center band of 'Z' to the outline. Between 'Z' zones are 2 white strips, each with black rectangle filled with solid color, connected by 2 bands. One white triangle off top band. Below canvas ground is area of white ground with solid, color-filled black tapazoids, rectangles and one long blue band. Bottom has 2 side panels with bands and strips of white with 2 rectlangles, 1 red, 1 blue. Between panels is hide fringe, with white bead decoration on ends, overlayed with a small panel of white beads with red, blue, black and green letter design. Edge of garment is outlined with white and royal blue.
Collected by the donor in South Africa in the early 1980's.
