H x W x D: 4.6 x 2.4 x 2.6cm (1 13/16 x 15/16 x 1in.)
Type:
Jewelry
Geography:
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date:
Early to mid-20th century
Label Text:
Ivory pendants are miniature versions of a kind of mask used in initiation retreats. Pendants were also made of wood, bone and palm nut; today they are also made of aluminum. Worn around the neck, they function as protective and healing amulets.
Description:
Ivory face pendant with small cap and rectangular beard, and overall dark yellow color with darker spots on the beard and eyebrows. An incised line across the brow forms a cross with a vertical line across the forehead to the top of the nose.
Provenance:
Bob Bronson, -- to 1977
Exhibition History:
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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