earrings

General view of whole of Horniman Museum object no 1972.46
General view of whole of Horniman Museum object no 1972.46

Ear ornaments made of leather in a rounded rectangle shape, and decorated on the front with coloured beads in a grid pattern. The beads are mainly small and are blue, orange, white, green and red in colour, with some larger beads in these colours, and yellow. The two ornaments are joined by a string of red, green and blue beads, and both have a strip of leather at the back, which is attached only to the top. Ear ornament of bead and cowhide. Married women must wear it to show they are married if they are not wearing their brass coiled ones which also show they are married. These earrings are given to the woman, or women would get together, buy and share one. This one was made in Nkoriem by a married woman.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
1972.46
Date
1968
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 390 x 10 x 92 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
leather; beads; metal
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
In storage
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Collection Information

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