Currently not on view
Prestige bracelet (benfra),
late 19th–20th century
More Context
Handbook Entry
The profusion of gold in present-day Ghana was first noted by the Portuguese in 1471, and as a result, the geographic area inhabited by the Akan peoples became known as the Gold Coast. Dazzling displays of gold continue to reflect the splendor and prosperity of Akan royal courts in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Chiefs, principal counselors, the queen mother, and key attendants are bedecked from crown to sandal in an array of cast, repoussé, embossed, and gold-leaf ornaments that express their status and power. The organic, swirling pattern of the chief’s bracelet demonstrates the finesse of Akan goldsmiths.
Information
late 19th–20th century
Africa, Ghana, Kumasi
[B.C. Holland Gallery, Chicago, IL]; Princeton University Art Museum, 1994
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"Acquisitions of the Art Museum 1994," <em>Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University </em>54, no. 1 (1995): p. 40-79., p. 53
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"Selected checklist of objects in the collection of African art," <em>Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University</em> 58, no. 1/2 (1999): p. 77–83., p. 80
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<em>Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collection</em> (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007), p. 297 (illus.)
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<em>Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections </em>(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 2013), p. 349
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