#cowrie shells

Japanese artist Shibata Zeshin was born #OTD (15 March 15, 1807 – 13 July, 1891).

Shells, n.d.

Lacquer, ink & colour on paper

19.1 x 16.7 cm

moonlight 🕯️🌕

since october is gullah geechee heritage month, hoodoo heritage month, and halloween season, i figured i’d paint something to represent them all!

you can find prints and other merch of this piece on my printful! (indigokra.printful.me)

alt text + desc under the cut

SZA at the Met Gala 2026, in custom Bode.

'Inspired by the Wiener Werkstätte, the turn-of-the-century Viennese art collective whose work advanced both the Art Deco and Art Nouveau movements. Their fashion department was sought after for its artistic and avant-garde clothing and accessories.

The bold yellow color and full, sweeping skirt are inspired by Werkstätte fashion plates in the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Artisans at the Werkstätte pulled their references from all eras, considering hoop-skirt designs from the 1800s equally as timeless as slim 1920s silhouettes.

Beadwork and materials, like the floral appliqués cut from remnants of fabric, were sourced from eBay. The tiered skirt is sewn with cowrie shells and European beaded flowers from the Edwardian period, indicative of Emily and SZA's love for global handcraft. Hand-painted butterfly wings and beaded quartz crystal cuffs along the arms are inspired by antique French burlesque costumes, c.1910s. Finishing the look is a handmade crown trimmed with fresh flowers, inspired by the floral bouquets ordered each morning by the Werkstätte.' X

At the 2025 Presidential Inauguration, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wore a judicial collar made of cowrie shells, with matching earrings. 

In African traditions, cowrie shells are believed to offer protection from evil.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture notes:

'Knowing that Africans used cowries as charms for protection, historians speculate the cowries may have been brought to America as talismans to resist enslavement.'