HISTORY 

Before the contemporary baskets started being made in the last half of 20th century, there was a tradition of embellishing utilitarian objects with wire and beads in Southern Africa. Imbenge, the traditional covers for black Zulu beer pots, were traditionally made of palm fibers. With the introduction of modern materials, including metal wire and beads, the colors were hard to resist, and a new art form was created. Then, items such as traditional sticks, snuff containers and bottles were given the wire treatment.  Some of these quirky objects are my favorites.

Pictured here are a few gems from our collections as well as the collections of the Phansi Museum and the Killie Campbell Museum, both in Durban, South Africa.