Technical and Traditional Approaches to the Conservation of Two Zulu Beaded Ensembles

Kathryn Brugioni Gabrielli and Hlengiwe Dube

Abstract

Within the context of the three-year, Mellon-funded Conservation Initiative in African Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, two beaded ensembles belonging to a married Zulu man and woman were documented, studied, and treated by the conservator in collaboration with Zulu beadwork expert, historian, and artist, Hlengiwe Dube. Acquired by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2013, each ensemble comprises approximately 15 pieces, all requiring both a cultural examination and technical analysis to ensure accurate documentation, preservation, and presentation of the parts and of the whole. This study begins with a description of these ensembles, their components, and their collection history and discusses the documentation process as well as the findings of technical and scientific analysis. These examinations informed the chosen treatment and display approaches. Installation of two mannequins and reinstallation of complementary material from the museum’s collection was completed for the grant’s capstone symposium in April 2019.

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2019 | Uncasville | Volume 26