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Catalog Data

Maker:
Wolof artist  Search this
Medium:
Gold-plated silver alloy
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 6.1 x 6.4 x 2 cm (2 3/8 x 2 1/2 x 3/4 in.)
Type:
Jewelry
Geography:
Senegal
Date:
Mid-20th century
Label Text:
Bracelets were essential to a woman’s collection, and a simple version was often a Wolof woman’s first acquisition. Like necklaces and earrings, bracelets come in a wide variety of inventive styles, from the braided and twisted designs, which required the female client’s presence to designate the tightness of the twist, to delicate, European-inspired flowers, to Islamic-inspired half-moon bracelets.
Description:
Two-piece gold-plated silver alloy hinged bracelet in stylized butterfly and leaves design with applied globules in lines and in groupings of seven on solid hammered metal base. The back half of the bracelet has hammered flat discs applied at the center of the leaf pairs and no applied globules. The bracelet is missing one hinge pin.
Provenance:
Marian Johnson, purchased in Dakar, Senegal, 1963-late 20th century to 2012
Exhibition History:
Good As Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 24, 2018-February 2, 2020; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, September 16, 2020-January 3, 2021
Published References:
Maples, Amanda, Ashby Johnson, Marian, and Dumouchelle, Kevin D., 2018, Good As Gold, Washington, D.C.: NMAfA, Smithsonian, p. 73, illustrated p. 76 and on cover
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
Topic:
Adornment  Search this
Female use  Search this
butterfly  Search this
male  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Dr. Marian Ashby Johnson
Object number:
2012-18-162
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7361dc53e-c131-4fc5-86b9-e95afd6e2d09
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_2012-18-162