H x W x D: 1.4 x 9 x 8.8 cm (9/16 x 3 9/16 x 3 7/16 in.)
Type:
Jewelry
Geography:
Côte d'Ivoire
Burkina Faso
Date:
Mid-20th century
Label Text:
This example is probably from the Lobi peoples, although similar examples are worn by the Tusyan. Bracelets with python imagery are worn as protective charms by men, women and children in Burkina Faso and bordering Côte d'Ivoire. The python generally emerges as a symbol partly because of its size and strength, but more often because of its ability to cross various aspects of nature, making the transition from land to water.
Description:
Cast copper alloy bracelet with relief of a snake and the body of the bracelet compressed into a serpentine form.
Provenance:
Philip Ravenhill, collected in Côte d'Ivoire, 1972-1974 to 1996
Exhibition History:
Artful Animals, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., July 1, 2009-July 25, 2010
Gifts to the National Collection of African Art, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 17, 1997-January 4, 1998
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