Maasai Beaded Cape Kenya Leather Beaded African Art

Description

Title
Maasai Beaded Cape Kenya Leather Beaded African Art
Other Names
Currency
Type of Object
Powder glass
People
Ashanti or Asante
Made In
Kenya or Tanzania
Traded In
Africa
Approximate Age
Mid 20th century
Overall Condition
Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.   Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.  We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings.  Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage.
Damage/Repair
Color variation
Bead Size
12-14 mm diameter. See picture with penny for size comparison (US penny is 19mm diameter).
Strand Length
27 inches (including string/raffia).
This  is the best example of these I have had, in 25 years of buying.  Simply stunning.
Elizabeth Bennett
We do not recommend laundering textiles, and do not accept returns of textiles which have been laundered in any manner.  Even dry cleaning is too much for some of these antique textiles.  For some of them, a very gentle HAND washing  (NEVER MACHINE, on any setting)  in cool water with a very gentle detergent works, but even then, dyes may not be colorfast, and fabric may be less strong than it appears.
Additional Information:
A magnificently beaded piece. Olekesana is a woman skirt or cap from the Maasai. It is made of goatskin or sheepskin decorated with beads on the surface. some of them may have a particular design for a specific category of wearer. The skirt is embellished with ochre Such skirts were as garments and part of married women dress. Such capes would be worn by women from the day they would get married until their death. These capes/skirts can still be seen worn y women during important ceremonies.
For more information and pictures, see Saitoti's MAASAI, which has examples and a photograph of a woman sewing beads on one, on p. 216.
See a similar piece in Marie-Louise Labelle, BEADS OF LIFE, fig. 66, p.86
I have examined this piece and agree with the description.
Niangi Batulukisi, PhD
**130639**
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U.S. Shipping
: Our staff take great care in packing our artwork, much of which is antique, irregularly-shaped, and fragile. The cost of labor and the special packing materials used is reflected in our shipping price. Our U.S. shipping charges also include insurance; we self-insure on smaller orders. For these reasons, our shipping and handling charges may be more than the price of postage. .
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