Comb (cisakulo) (mid- to late 1800s): Art, History and Details

Comb (cisakulo) (mid- to late 1800s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Chokwe women and men inserted finely decorated combs and pins in their hair to signal rank and wealth. Here, as among neighboring peoples, hairstyles reflected changing trends across place and over time. This comb's wooden material and sculptural top made it of a higher value than simple examples made from metal or cane. Its wide teeth were practical, securing elements of a hairstyle in place. The long-beaked ngungu birds with beaded necklaces were a well-known symbol of chiefly power. In addition to being a sign of beauty and good health, a well-styled hairdo also suggests that the wearer relies on the help of others in its creation. Combs were often gifted to women by admirers or husbands to mark important life events. This comb entered the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection in 1915, one year before the museum opened its doors.

Object facts

• Title: Comb (cisakulo)
• Date: mid- to late 1800s
• Culture: Africa, Central Africa, Angola, or Democratic Republic of Congo, Chokwe-style
• Type: Jewelry
• Technique: Wood, glass beads, and natural fibers
• Dimensions: Overall: 13.3 x 8 x 1.4 cm (5 1/4 x 3 1/8 x 9/16 in.)
• Collection: African Art
• Department: African Art
• Accession number: 1915.453

A detail from the museum

The double birds on this comb are the ngungu, a kind of hornbill linked to hunting and the related power of leaders. They were considered a good omen, and served as mediators between the earthly world and the spiritual one.

Collection credit

The Harold T. Clark Educational Extension Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Petridis, Constantine. "A New Installation for African Art in Cleveland." Tribal 3, no. 36 (Autumn/Winter 2004): 68-73.
• Wixom, WIlliam D. "African Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art." African Arts. 10, no. 3. (April 1977) 16-25.
• Donley, Gregory M., "A New Face for African Art", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 42 no. 04, April 2002

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.