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Pendant

National Museum of African Art
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Object Details

Lega artist
Label Text
Precolonial Lega society was governed by Bwami, a graded association open to all men and women in a given village. Bwami was also an educational system through which esteemed Lega values were taught. Above all, Bwami conveyed prestige, and its activities were the sole impetus for the visual arts.
The highest grades in Bwami were yananio and kindi, ranks comprising the intellectual, moral and political elite of the society, who were privileged to own or have access to the most prestigious art forms. Among these were carved wood, ivory or bone figurines that were also used to teach Bwami initiates moral precepts. The figurines represent a vast array of characters and personages from Bwami proverbs. They illustrate such cultural values as respect and moderation. This figurine is also a pendant and would have been worn suspended from a necklace or belt.
Description
Ivory figurine pendant, flat with diamond shaped head, the chin on the torso and short legs. The pendant has a honey colored patina with darker color in recesses.
Provenance
Private Belgian collection, 1947-1950 to 1986
Count J.J. de Launoit, Brussels, 1986 to 1993
Content Statement
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
Credit Line
Acquisition Grant from the James Smithson Society
Late 18th century
Object number
93-5-1
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Jewelry
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
H x W x D: 9.8 x 3.8 x 1.5 cm (3 7/8 x 1 1/2 x 9/16 in.)
Geography
Democratic Republic of the Congo
See more items in
National Museum of African Art Collection
National Museum of African Art
Topic
Initiation
Leadership
Status
Male use
male
Record ID
nmafa_93-5-1
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7746ed509-391a-424f-a424-d30005a205e7

Related Content

  • Open Access Highlights

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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