Object Details
Maker
Soninke artist
Label Text
Jewish artisans who fled Spain during the Inquisition in the late 15th century and settled in North Africa brought with them the jewelry techniques of filigree and granulation. While the delicate linear designs and ornamental forms of these pendants and beads are centuries old, the objects themselves were probably created only about a hundred years ago. Gold can be easily melted and remade into new forms in keeping with changing patterns of taste and wealth.
Description
Gold-plated silver alloy four pointed spiral ornament with four circular projections on roped bases and a central floral-like projection.
Provenance
Roy and Brigitta Mitchell, Washington, D.C., -- to 2010
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 (deinstalled August 28, 2018)
African Mosaic: Celebrating a Decade of Collecting, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2010-November 13, 2013
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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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.
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Credit Line
Gift of the Roy and Brigitta Mitchell Collection
Date
Late 19th-early 20th century
Object number
2010-10-5
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Jewelry
Medium
Gold-plated silver alloy
Dimensions
H x W x D: 3.3 x 4.2 x 0.7 cm (1 5/16 x 1 5/8 x 1/4 in.)
Geography
Mauritania
See more items in
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source
National Museum of African Art
Topic
Adornment
Female use
male
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmafa_2010-10-5