Sunday, April 27, 2014

African Beadwork, Part 1


detail of surface edge stitching on Zulu man's apron
Recently I had the pleasure and good fortune to meet a woman who lived in South Africa for most of her adult life, with an interest and means to collect vast quantities of quality beadwork. She has cataloged the work and keeps it stored in museum-quality, climate-controlled, acid-free drawers and shelves, made just for this purpose. As she is a private person, I'm not giving her name or location here. But she gave me her permission to share some of the photos I took while viewing the work. In two viewings so far, I have already taken over 200 photos!


detail of bead-woven panel on Zulu man's apron
When I see this beadwork, I am in awe. We have so much to learn from it, both in design and technique, not to mention the sheer magnitude of some of the pieces. I tend to make something that may take 2 or 3 days of work, and be very proud of my achievement. But it dwarfs compared to the time it must take to make some of these pieces!

OK, so for today, here are some beaded items made by Zulu women in South Africa. I will begin this series with two back aprons (buttocks covers), stitched on leather and worn by men. These were probably made in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The weight of these aprons is considerable... maybe 30 pounds each.

South African Zulu beadwork - man's apron
Please click on the picture so you can see the incredible detail! Imagine how long it would take to make this! The three woven panels look like peyote stitch to me, although I didn't pry the beads apart to examine it closely. After making the panels, they were stitched to the leather. All of the other beading on this piece is surface edge stitching, stitched directly onto the leather.

South African Zulu beadwork - man's apron - detail showing beaded surface edge stitching

South African Zulu beadwork - man's apron - detail showing woven panel

South African Zulu beadwork - man's apron - detail showing  beaded surface edge stitching
I like to imagine the story about this piece. It would have been made by a young woman for her husband. But, what was the man like, and how did he feel wearing this? Compared to aprons worn by other men, was this one a "stand-out?" How did it end up in the collection of a foreigner?

Here's another one... also very impressive.

South African Zulu beadwork - man's apron
And here are some details of this one. Notice that some of the surface edge stitching on this one runs vertical. Some aprons and women's skirts were embellished entirely with this vertical edge stitching. One of the woven panels has become detached, as you can see, but otherwise this apron is in perfect condition. In my opinion the beads were all traded/imported from the Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia); many of them are size 14s.

South African Zulu beadwork - man's apron - detail showing beaded surface edge stitching

South African Zulu beadwork - man's apron - detail showing beaded surface edge stitching

South African Zulu beadwork - man's apron - detail showing woven panel

South African Zulu beadwork - man's apron - detail showing beaded surface edge stitching
Here's one more picture, showing extreme detail of the edge stitch... I think we can figure out the thread path from this photos (again, it's easier to see when you click on the picture for an enlarged version)... I'm going to try.

South African Zulu beadwork - man's apron - detail of edge stitch
This post shows only 2 of the MANY fabulous pieces I photographed. My next post will be all about a Zulu woman's skirt. Talk about heavy with beads! Talk about heavy with design details and techniques! You will be wowed! Here's a little sneak peek at it...

South African Zulu beadwork - woman's skirt - detail
Please let me know if you like seeing this work... I'm in awe of it, and could write several posts, showing some very beautiful and unusual designs and techniques.

20 comments:

  1. Robin~ this really is awe-inspiring! can't imagine the strength required to stitch onto leather. even with an awl to punch holes, so time consuming.positively gorgeous. yes, more please...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Dianne... just the encouragement I need. Taking the photos inside, means I have to work with them in Photoshop to restore detail and color. It take so much time... worth it, of course, but a little interest does help!

      Delete
  2. They're fantastic pieces and the work is amazing. I'm anxious to see the Zulu woman's skirt as
    your sneak preview looks interesting - love the turquoise beads with the bold red and black beads, wonderful use of color.

    Okay this now makes my third attempt to play "Guess the Smear" in the CAPTCHA code !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've had a lot of trouble with bloggers version of captcha too... Sorry about that...

      Glad you like the beadwork! I like the color combinations too. I always wonder if there is particular meaning, or (like in Eastern Europe) it's the only colors available to them... probably a combination of both. My love for opaque beads probably stems from all the beautiful ethnic beadwork I've seen, most of which (at least in the past) is devoid of bling beads and transparent beads. Thanks for commenting!

      Delete
  3. The work/detail is amazing...most don't appreciate the time and effort that this type of work requires. I am in awe....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You and me both! I feel so lucky to have been able to see (and touch!) it in person! Thanks for commenting, Robbie.

      Delete
  4. What a fantastic post and the beadwork is amazing. Can't wait to see Part 2.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you like it! Part 2 coming soon...

      Delete
  5. Yes, I would love to see more. This was amazing. What a treat to be able to see this kind of beadwork. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for commenting... more soon!

      Delete
  6. I'd like to see more, too. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice to hear from you, Bobbi! Thanks for commenting.

      Delete
  7. Native American work will always be my first love- but just because I have a first love doesn't mean that I cannot appreciate other work. This was beautiful, fascinating, and inspiring. It is great to see something out of my usual realm of experience. I am looking forward to your next posts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree about drawing inspiration from work that maybe isn't your first love. Also, it's always interesting to me to compare the work of various groups from around the world, marveling at the connecting threads and the differences. Thanks for commenting.

      Delete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a treat, Robin, you must have been all a-swoon, in 7th heaven!! Very fascinating to see a whole other *genre* of beadwork.

    And don't worry too much about the photos being perfect or absolutely true to color because we, out here, reading with rapt attention, do not mind at all. If it makes you feel any better, some of the most awe inspiring images of antiquity I've seen were done in less-than-optimal conditions, on site in tricky locations [bead shroud on a mummy, for instance]. Not worth making yerself crazy over, I'd say ... and faaaaaaar too much work - we'll love whatever you put here!!

    Thanks for the swell show & looking forward to more ;>]]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was all a-swoon, Christi... great way to describe my non-stop Cheshire grin! Thanks for the suggestion to cut the Photoshop time... I do tend to go a bit overboard with it sometimes... I guess it's a challenge.

      Delete
  10. p.s. BIG thumbs up for the copyright notices - YAY, own it! - because as you know these will end up all over Pinterest, etc., so at least the photos will name the source & hopefully be backtracked ;>D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I agree that it's important to show source!

      Delete
  11. Anonymous6:42 AM

    Excellent!
    I saw that this is agreeable post.So I agree with this show!


    African Glass Beads"

    ReplyDelete

Thanks you for joining the discussion on this post today!