The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Pendant: Face in Crescent

1900s

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

Gold
Overall: 7 x 7.4 cm (2 3/4 x 2 15/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1952.118
Location: 108C Akan & Yoruba

Did You Know?

Although the surface of this pendant was likely enriched (worked to enhance the surface level of gold) at the time of manufacture, the dark spots on the face show us where this enriched layer has worn away.

Description

This pendant was 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.
  • 1951
    René Rasmussen, Paris, France
    Nasli Heeramaneck, New York
    René Rasmussen, Paris (1951); Nasli Heeramaneck, New York
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 390 archive.org
    Vogel, Susan Mullin. Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press, 1997. Mentioned: p. 299; Reproduced: p. 201
  • Baule: African Art/Western Eyes. Museum for African Art, NY (September 11, 1998-January 3, 1999); National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC (February 9-May 16, 1999).
    Baule: African Art/Western Eyes. Yale University Art Gallery (organizer) (August 30, 1997-January 4, 1998); The Art Institute of Chicago (February 14-May 10, 1998).
    New Haven, CT: Yale University Art Gallery, 8/30/97 - 1/4/98. Art Institute of Chicago, 2/14/98 - 5/19/98. NY: The Museum for African Art, 9/11/98 - 1/3/99. Washington, DC: National Museum for African Art, 2/9/99 - 5/16/99, Baule: African Art: Western Eyes. color repr. p. 201.
  • {{cite web|title=Pendant: Face in Crescent|url=false|author=|year=1900s|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1952.118