Married Woman's Headdress
| Culture | Zulu |
|---|---|
| Title | Married Woman's Headdress (Isicholo) |
| Date | 20th century |
| Medium | Cloth, fiber, hair, red ochre, and and animal fat |
| Dimensions | Object: 5 1/8 × 18 7/8 in. (13 × 47.9 cm) Overall: 5 1/8 × 18 7/8 in. (13 × 47.9 cm) |
| Credit Line | Gift of Budd Stalnaker, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 2006.369 |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
A red-orange hat with a wide, flat, disc-like top, which tapers sharply to a narrow band. The headband is textured, with strings and loops that extend from the headband.
During the nineteenth century, the isicholo was a distinctive hairstyle that identified a Zulu woman as married; over time it has become a detachable headdress, which varies in form from cylindrical to flaring, depending on regional preferences. Frequently decorated with beadwork, the isicholo today is worn primarily on special or ceremonial occasions.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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Cite this page
"Married Woman's Headdress | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2006.369