You will need to login before viewing this page.
If you have not yet purchased the NCMA Virtual Exhibitions Subscription you can do so here.
If you have any questions, please email help@ncartmuseum.org.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Butterfly necklace pendant
Wolof or Tukulor artist, Dakar, Senegal
Butterfly necklace pendant
1930s–1950s
Gold-plated silver alloy
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Dr. Marian Ashby Johnson, 2012-18-45
Butterfly necklace pendant
In order to document historic forms, Johnson often bought jewelry otherwise destined for the goldsmith’s melting pot. This European-inspired butterfly pendant is one such piece and as a result is one of the oldest in the collection.
Necklace (bount u sindoné)
Wolof artist, Dakar, Senegal
Necklace (bount u sindoné)
Mid-20th century
Gold-plated silver alloy
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Dr. Marian Ashby Johnson, 2012-18-19
Necklace (bount u sindoné)
Complete perfection
For many Senegalese women, the ideal necklace incorporates three pendants—one central component flanked by two complementary, smaller pendants. A string of handmade beads, sometimes with a back pendant attached and worn at the nape of the neck, perfects the ensemble. The central portion of the necklace, known as a kostine, consists of delicate, ornate filigree and requires a great deal of skill and craftsmanship. According to art historian Marian Ashby Johnson, this particular style of necklace is a modified form of the kostine known as a bount u sindoné. A complete necklace with all three components is on display elsewhere in the exhibition.
Pendant
Unidentified artist, Dakar, Senegal
Pendant
Early 20th century
Gold-plated silver alloy
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Dr. Marian Ashby Johnson, 2012-18-54
Pendant
Originally subordinate to a larger central pendant, this beautiful filigree piece is one of the oldest in the collection and demonstrates the earlier mixture of gold and silver known as urus sasel.
NCMA Virtual Exhibitions
By the North Carolina Museum of Art