Artwork Page for Pendant: Face in Diamond

Details / Information for Pendant: Face in Diamond

Pendant: Face in Diamond

1900s

Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, probably Baule-style goldsmith

Medium
Gold
Measurements
Overall: 9.2 x 8.9 cm (3 5/8 x 3 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
James Albert Ford Memorial Fund 1942.171
Public Domain
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Location
108C African Jewelry and Metalwork
Print
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Did You Know?

This pendant may be an idealized portrait that the person who wore it knew.

Description

These pendants were cast in gold using the lost-wax method. Gold objects are the only Baule art forms associated with ancestor spirits. Usually hidden in pots or suitcases, gold adornments are displayed on important occasions such as funerals. They are laid out around the corpse before burial. A widow will wear them on a chain around her neck or attached to her hair at the ceremony signaling the end of mourning.
A gold pendant features a central human face set within a diamond-shaped frame. Protruding almond-shaped eyes with horizontal slits and a rounded nose dominate the visage. Concentric ridges radiate from the face, filling the interior space. An openwork lattice border encircles the piece, punctuated by small circular loops at each corner and a double loop at the apex. A vertical crack splits the lower portion, extending from the chin downwards.

Pendant: Face in Diamond

1900s

Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, probably Baule-style goldsmith

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