This unusually large bag probably originates from the Mfengu people in the eastern Cape. The geometric diamond pattern design, as well as the colours of the larger beads - dark blue, light blue, red and white - are all generally associated with their beadwork.

This bag is not only interesting for its aesthetic qualities but also as a cross-cultural object. The South Nguni traditionally made their bags of skin but in the course of the nineteenth century, as the region was populated with European traders and settlers, the materials of the bags reflected this changing socio-economic landscape. This example is made entirely of materials acquired through trade. The core of the bag is made from a thick cotton weave, lined with bright red- and pink-striped satin, and is ensconced in a self-supporting weave of beads.

Larger bags, such as this example, were probably used by men to carry their private supplies of tobacco and other small items. For notes on South Nguni bags, see E M Shaw and N J van Warmelo, 'The material culture of the Cape Nguni: personal and general', Annals of the SA Museum, 58 (4), 1988, pp.712-3. For examples of bags of the usual size, see M Stevenson and M Graham-Stewart (eds), South-east African beadwork 1850-1910, Cape Town, 2000, pp.50-51. For further examples of South Nguni beadwork from our stock, see www.michaelstevenson.com/africanart/html/beadwork.htm