H x W x D: 7 x 19.4 x 16.5 cm (2 3/4 x 7 5/8 x 6 1/2 in.)
Type:
Jewelry
Geography:
Cameroon
Date:
Late 19th-early 20th century
Label Text:
A number of groups from the equatorial forest region made and used cast metal neck rings. Due to the large amount of valuable copper alloy they contain, they represent a conspicuous display of stored wealth and may have served as a form of currency appropriate for certain transactions. The currencies with the most obvious artistic values are the bracelets, collars, earrings and anklets that were crafted from copper, gold and silver. It is often difficult to distinguish these currency pieces from items of jewelry that were used for adornment alone, although much of it functioned as currency in a somewhat restricted sense as well. These pieces of jewelry were not widely circulated and were never used in connection with routine transactions. Instead, they served as repositories of wealth in a form that was easy to store and transport.
Description:
C-shaped copper alloy neck ring with two horizontal flanges.
Provenance:
Jacob A. Reis, DD, and Eleanor N. Reis, RN, collected near Bafia mission station, Cameroon, 1908-1948
Province and Eleanor Reis Henry, Vienna, Virginia
Barbara G. Martin, -- to 1984
Exhibition History:
The Earth Moves - We Follow: Celebrating African Art, Frank H. McClung Museum, Knoxville, January 10-May 18, 2003
Content Statement:
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