H x W x D: 5.3 x 8.6 x 0.9 cm (2 1/16 x 3 3/8 x 3/8 in.)
Type:
Jewelry
Geography:
Côte d'Ivoire
Date:
Mid-20th century
Label Text:
The most skilled African artisans created jewelry from the most precious metals--brass, copper, silver and gold. While bracelets, pendants and earrings were decorative, they were also store currency, representing the accumulated wealth of individuals or families.
Although attributed to the Baule, this pendant and other forms of jewelry made by Baule metalsmiths could have circulated in the coastal region of Côte d'Ivoire, where gold jewelry was a prized possession of wealthy families, and public exhibitions of acquired gold served to increase one's status. This type of pendant was often sewn onto hats or headties.
Description:
Crescent shaped pendant with three triangular piercings and central suspension loop on outer curve.
Provenance:
Mr. and Mrs. Emil J. Arnold, New York, -- to 1975
Exhibition History:
Art of the Personal Object, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 24, 1991-April 9, 2007
The Art of African Currency, International Monetary Fund, Washington, D.C., April 4-November 22, 2002
Metalwork of the Ivory Coast, National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, April 10-May 29, 1994
African Emblems of Status, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 29, 1982-April 3, 1983
Content Statement:
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