Hair ornament
Object Details
- Tukulor artist
- Wolof artist
- Label Text
- Popular among fashionable Wolof and Tukulor women of Senegal during the 1940s and 1950s, these hair ornaments are worn in clusters of three on either side of the head, and sewn into an elaborate wig known as a gossi. This particular ornament, known as koulalat, would be the central element, flanked by two smaller, pear or globular-shaped ornaments known as cadias. All three incorporate delicate granulation, a technique of applying tiny balls of metal, known as thioup-thioup to hammered sheet metal. Because the Tukulor tended to favor the use of granulation to a greater degree, this hair ornament is likely Tukulor.
- The holes pierced into the surface of this hollow ornament allow for ventilation during creation, but have become an important part of the style.
- Description
- Round/globular gold-plated silver alloy hair ornament with decorative layers of granulated surface, flattened round beads, topped by a raised, tiered floral projection. The hair ornament has a semi-flat back covered with slightly raised, but empty, circles, or rings. Projections of small florettes with granules grace the circumference of the ornament and the top of the circumference surface is pierced with almond-shaped holes.
- 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 February 13, 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. 69, illustrated p. 70
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- Credit Line
- Gift of Dr. Marian Ashby Johnson
- 1940s-1950s
- Object number
- 2012-18-6
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Jewelry
- Medium
- Gold-plated silver alloy
- Dimensions
- H x W x Diam: 4.2 x 5.1 x 5.1 cm (1 5/8 x 2 x 2 in.)
- Geography
- Senegal
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- Object Name
- Koulalat
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- Adornment
- Female use
- male
- floral
- flower
- Record ID
- nmafa_2012-18-6
- Metadata Usage (text)
- Usage conditions apply
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7554a9e6b-6dc3-4436-b8fc-a2a6f20b7cd1
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