Bracelet

Object Details

Tukulor artist

Label Text

Bracelets were essential to a woman’s collection, and a simple version was often a Wolof woman’s first acquisition. Like necklaces and earrings, bracelets come in a wide variety of inventive styles, from the braided and twisted designs, which required the female client’s presence to designate the tightness of the twist, to delicate, European-inspired flowers, to Islamic-inspired half-moon bracelets.

Though this bracelet is inspired by the Islamic half moon motif, it has no direct religious affiliation but was likely chosen for its monumental qualities and three-part composition. Granulation, applying tiny balls of metal to metal sheets, filigree, a delicate jewelry technique that incorporates finely curving metal wires in a frame, and twisted wire techniques can all be observed in this piece.

Description

Two-piece hinged gold-plated silver alloy bracelet in the shape of a hollow central crescent or half moon (Islamic) pendant flanked by projecting filigree half domes in the shape of a flower and smaller tiered domes crested with globules. The central pendant is decorated with wire and twisted wire swirls, X shape pendants and around the edges with globules and twisted wire. The rest of the bracelet is flattened metal with applied decorative elements, including four large and several smaller spirals, twisted wire swirls and raised X shape pendants at the back and sides. Inside of the bracelet is secured on either side of the central pendant by four metal bars and e front half of the bracelet is pierced with large holes in several places, probably for ventilation during construction. Hinge pin closure, but hinge pin is missing.

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

African Mosaic: Selections from the Permanent Collection, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2013–August 12, 2019 (installed June 12, 2015-August 1, 2017)

Published References

Maples, Amanda, Ashby Johnson, Marian, and Dumouchelle, Kevin D., 2018, Good As Gold, Washington, D.C.: NMAfA, Smithsonian, p. 55, 73, 87 illustrated p. 56, p. 77

Credit Line

Gift of Dr. Marian Ashby Johnson

Early to mid-20th century

Object number

2012-18-176

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Jewelry

Medium

Gold-plated silver alloy

Dimensions

H x W x D: 6.6 x 7.7 x 1.4 cm (2 5/8 x 3 1/16 x 9/16 in.)

Geography

Senegal

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

Object Name

galbe

lam u teg

National Museum of African Art

Topic

Adornment

Female use

crescent

male

spiral

moon

Record ID

nmafa_2012-18-176

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7b072a50f-6e36-4a90-9ddf-75a576b49c60