Bracelet

Object Details

Wolof artist

Label Text: Bracelets and earrings of twisted gold are the most simple and plentiful forms of jewelry found in Senegal. And yet, there is a tremendous variety borne of its simplicity. Many Senegalese jewelers require their female clients’ presence while twisting and finishing a bracelet because a woman’s individual preference determines when the jeweler has twisted enough—thus, making the twist a matter of taste and dual creation.; The gold content also has a bearing on the twist; the tighter the twists, the heavier and thicker the bracelet. Heavier bracelets are reserved for special occasions because they demand more of a jeweler’s time and indicate a high level of leisure and opulence. This bracelet is extremely heavy, with a solid core construction.
Description: C-form bracelet of gold-plated copper alloy twisted together with ends capped in two large hand-hammered spheres. The copper band is smaller and twisted.
Provenance: Marian Johnson, purchased in Dakar, Senegal, 1963-late 20th century to 2012
Exhibition History: Good As Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 24, 2018-February 2, 2020; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, September 16, 2020-January 3, 2021
Published References: Maples, Amanda, Ashby Johnson, Marian, and Dumouchelle, Kevin D., 2018, Good As Gold, Washington, D.C.: NMAfA, Smithsonian, p. 46, illustrated p. 45

National Museum of African Art

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys72390339a-189d-4570-940f-c1a61696a717