Strauss & co - 11 November 2013, Johannesburg

160 223 Diederick George DURING south african 1917–1991 Zulu Maiden with Pot signed mixed media on card 63,5 by 48 cm R60 000–80 000 notes In Zulu culture the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood was sanctioned by several events, including initiation, and body transformation. The Zulu ear-piercing ceremony ( Qhumbuza ) was performed on male and females before reaching puberty, being the first of a number of acts denoting the ritual transition from childhood to adulthood. Piercing the ear lobes served as a mark of change; the absence of pierced ears denoted one was still a child and, as such unable to hear and understand. The Zulu ear plugs are known as iziquaza. Stylistically the earplugs in this painting date from the 1950s.