Hat | Yale University Art Gallery

19th–20th century

On view, 1st floor, African Art

Though the specific title or office associated with this hat is not recorded, the addition of glass beads and cowrie shells—both used as a form of currency—indicates the wearer’s wealth. The inclusion of fur may have served to symbolically link the wearer with the strength of a powerful animal.

Medium: Cloth, fur, fiber, cowrie shells, and beads
Dimensions: 5 × 7 × 6 in. (12.7 × 17.8 × 15.2 cm)
Credit Line: Bequest of Paul F. Walter
Accession Number: 2023.46.7
Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Culture: Kuba
Period: 19th–20th century
Classification: Apparel/Costume
Disclaimer: Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance

With Gallery de Roche (Dave DeRoche, dealer), San Francisco, by 2002; sold to Paul F. Walter (1935–2017), New York, 2002 (inv. no. 2002.049); bequeathed to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 2017

Object copyright

Additional information

Object/Work type

clothing, hats

Technical metadata and APIs

IIIF: Open in Mirador

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