B: 4.9 x 4.1 x 0.5 cm (1 15/16 x 1 5/8 x 3/16 in.)
Type:
Jewelry
Geography:
Senegal
Label Text:
Earrings, particularly twisted gold hoops ubiquitous throughout western Africa since the first millenium AD, are an essential component of any Senegalese jewelry ensemble. Often paired with a matching pendant or necklace, the more ornate patterns reflect their European inspirations, incorporating delicate filigree work and crested with flowers and circlets of twisted wire design. These designs often bore French names, or French derivatives. Dangling versions, sometimes modeled after common necklace designs, are also popular and are known as "long-longs." Others are small hoops composed of coiled or twisted wire meant to be attached permanently to the ear and worn in multiples.
Senegalese women are known for their political activism, and earrings are a popular vehicle for commemorating political events, causes or people, resulting in named and widely circulated designs. Celebrated beauties or pillars of the community were also memorialized, as in these earrings, composed of three semicircles and known as "re Kiné" ("Kiné's smile") to represent the smile of a beauty named Kiné N'Diaye. Other famous beauties were similarly honored - an earring style known as "Pauline Diack," popular throughout Senegal, acclaimed the famously beautiful and accomplished midwife from Saint-Louis.
Yet another style, designed by Mambeye 'Doudou' Gueye around 1951, is named "tonaimar." Dedicated to Abdoulaye Mar Diop, a highly regarded and industrious mayor of Saint-Louis, it encouraged him to "take it easy" and not work quite so hard.
Another event memorialized in earring form ("Loi de Lamine") celebrates the Lamine Guèye law (loi Lamine Guèye) of 1945 when women gained the right to vote, due to Lamine Guèye's tireless protests during his tenure as the Sengalese representative to France. French citizenship had been extended to the Senegalese colonies, but originally proposed to exclude women.
Description:
Copper colored, possibly not gold earrings in flattened crescent or C shape with lever-backed clasps. Twisted wire flanks the outer edge of the crescents and earrings are decorated with circles of applied globules (probably not true granulation technique-wise) and hook-shaped designs of undulating filigree that flank the central circular design.
Provenance:
Marian Johnson, purchased in Dakar, Senegal, 1963-late 20th century to 2012
Published References:
Maples, Amanda, Ashby Johnson, Marian, and Dumouchelle, Kevin D., 2018, Good As Gold, Washington, D.C.: NMAfA, Smithsonian, p. 43, illustrated p. 42
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