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Necklace

Date:

19th/mid–20th century

Artist:

Bamum
Cameroon
Coastal West Africa

About this artwork

Africans have cast and forged tools, weapons, and other metal objects for over 5,000 years, long before the earliest recorded contact with the Europeans in the second half of the 15th century. When trade routes opened up, Africans were able to buy iron rods and ingots of copper and brass that could be melted, which cut out the arduous task of refining raw ores. Out of the increased availability of raw materials emerged an increased repertoire of intricately and delicately designed copper alloy work, including jewelry.
This necklace, composed of fourteen miniature heads welded onto a circular structure with a single clasp, would most likely have been worn by a member of the royal court at Bamum.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Bamum

Title

Necklace

Place

Cameroon (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1800–1950

Medium

Copper alloy

Dimensions

Diam.: 31.8 cm (12 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Muriel Kallis Newman

Reference Number

2007.577

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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