Three Framed South African Beadwork Aprons, Gabi and Pepetu

Ndebele peoples, 20th century, glass beads on sturdy canvas cloth, float mounted within acrylic frames, the first framing a single rectangular child's apron or Gabi with polychrome geometric beadwork patterns against a black ground, with lower fringe border festooned with white beaded ends (frame 16 x 19 x 3 in.); the larger frame retaining two Pepetu aprons, each depicting beadwork designs of architectural dwellings (frame 51 x 21 1/2 x 3 in.).

From the Estate of the late Francine Pilloff, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Throughout their lives, Southern African Ndebele women wear various aprons that mark stages of social advancement. Pre-adolescent girls wear an apron of one solid piece, called a gabi (ghabi); when they reach adolescence, they start wearing the pepetu (isiphephetu). After marriage, a woman wears more elaborately adorned aprons: the mapoto, for everyday use, and the jocolo, with five rounded finger like flaps, is typically reserved for special occasions.

Some staining and small areas of bead loss; not examined out of the frames.