Pin (ndwong angwoong) for Hat (early 1900s): Art, History and Details

Pin (ndwong angwoong) for Hat (early 1900s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

Stick pins were practical, securing a hat to a man's hair. They were also a way to display social status. The material, attachments, number, or placement of metal stick pins were all significant. The miniature bell on this pin gives it the name ndwong angwoong. It was placed so that the bells dangled over the wearer's forehead.

Object facts

• Title: Pin (ndwong angwoong) for Hat
• Date: early 1900s
• Culture: Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kuba-style maker
• Type: Tools and Equipment
• Technique: Metal
• Dimensions: Overall: 17.8 cm (7 in.)
• Collection: African Art
• Department: African Art
• Accession number: 1915.468.b

Collection credit

Educational Purchase Fund

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.