Pendant

Object Details

Baule artist

Label Text

This maskette is a superb example of the skill of a Baule goldsmith. The artist began by artfully modeling beeswax into the likeness of a male Baule elder with a plaited beard. The wax, soft enough to form but hard enough not to be distorted when covered with clay, took the convex shape of the face with its subtle lines and curves. To fashion the hair, the artist made threads by rolling the wax with a paddle on a flat board. He then wrapped the threads into spirals or braided them together before pressing them onto the face. The finished form was first covered in a fine clay slip, then coarser layers were added until the wax finally was embedded within a large lump of dried clay. When the clay was heated, the wax melted and ran out. The "lost wax" left a perfect mold, ready to receive molten gold alloy. The intended use of the maskette is uncertain. Gold pendant heads were popular as hair adornments in the Baule region during the 19th century. Although no longer items of personal adornment, gold ornaments are still used at times to embellish the sculpted coiffure of a Baule face mask. Although attributed to the Baule, this maskette and other forms of jewelry made by Baule smiths could have circulated in the coastal region of Côte d'Ivoire, where gold jewelry was a prized possession of wealthy families and public exhibitions of acquired gold served to increase one's status.

Description

Cast gold alloy pendant in the form of a face of a bearded male, with braided and twisted raised elements defining hairstyle, eyebrows, eyes and a triangular beard.

Provenance

Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss, Washington, D.C., before 1966 to 1969

Exhibition History

African Beaded Art: Power and Adornment, Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, February 1-June 15, 2008

America's Smithsonian: Celebrating 150 Years, organized by The Smithsonian, Los Angeles Convention Center, February 9-March 10, 1996; Kansas City Convention Center, April 10-May 19, 1996; Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, August 21-September 19, 1996; St. Paul Civic Center, October 16-November 14, 1996, Houston, Texas, December 6, 1996- January 28, 1997, Portland Oregon, April 3 - May 6, 1997, Birmingham, Alabama, May 29-July 9, 1997, San Jose, California, July 31- August 25,1997

History, Context, Materials: Selections from the Permanent Collection of the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 12, 1985-January 5, 1986

African Emblems of Status, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 29, 1982-April 3, 1983

The Language of African Art, Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution Fine Arts & Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., May 24-September 7, 1970, no. 135

Published References

Goodman, Elaine Sooy. 2009. "Warren M. Robbins and the Founding of the National Museum of African Art." Tribal Art XIII:2 (51), p. 93, no. 15.

Museum of African Art. 1970. The Language of African Art, A Guest Exhibition of the Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian Institution Fine Arts & Portrait Gallery Building. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, no. 135.

Pemberton III, John. 2008. African Beaded Art: Power and Adornment. Northampton: Smith College Museum of Art, pp. 44-45, no. 11.

Robbins, Warren. 1966. African Art in American Collections. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, p. 91, no. 85.

Sieber, Roy. 1984. Gold in Miniature. Gallery handout. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Smithsonian Institution. 1996. America's Smithsonian, Celebrating 150 Years. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 106.

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Credit Line

Bequest of Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss

Late 19th-mid 20th century

Object number

69-20-1

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Jewelry

Medium

Gold alloy

Dimensions

H x W x D: 8.1 x 5.2 x 2.3 cm (3 3/16 x 2 1/16 x 7/8 in.)

Geography

Côte d'Ivoire

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

National Museum of African Art

Topic

Status

Adornment

male

Record ID

nmafa_69-20-1

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys78e252646-266e-4d1a-a720-184950bdcb67