Collection record · Objects & craft
Prestige Cap (mpu ngola)
The collection record classifies this work as garment. It is dated late 1800s–early 1900s. Recorded culture or place: Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, or Cabinda (Angola), Kongo-style maker, possibly Yombe subgroup.
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Prestige Cap (mpu ngola)
- Date
- late 1800s–early 1900s
- Culture / origin
- Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, or Cabinda (Angola), Kongo-style maker, possibly Yombe subgroup
- Materials and technique
- Raffia palm fiber (Raphia ruffia or R. vinifera) and leopard claws
- Dimensions
- Overall: 42 x 19.3 x 19 cm (16 9/16 x 7 5/8 x 7 1/2 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1997.180
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
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.
FOLLOW THE SOURCE
Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · John L. Severance Fund · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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