Object Details
- Tukulor artist
- Wolof artist
- Label Text
- The cross is a widely used form with numerous stylistic influences. The cross style of hair ornament is rumored to have originated from a late 18th-century pendant made for the wife of a Bamana king. Its form, however, also shows similarities to both the Coptic cross and the designs of nomadic Tuareg artisans, whose travel on Saharan trade routes along with salt, gold, and camels connected eastern, northern, and western Africa. When small ornaments in the shape of a cross (san u sébé) are worn in the hair, they are called trefle or argane, although some women prefer to wear them as pendants.
- Description
- Gold-plated silver alloy, hollow, three armed cross hair ornament with three trefoils of rosettes in circles of wire decorating the arms and central projecting pyramid decorated with a globule at the top, granulation and twisted wire. The pyramid is surrounded by a diamond composed of several rows of twisted wire. The top rectangular bar is decorated with rows of twisted wire and some granulation, and has a hole pierced through it to allow for being attached to hair or a cord. Hammered flat back with four pierced holes.
- Provenance
- Marian Johnson, purchased in Dakar, Senegal, 1963-late 20th century to 2012
- Exhibition History
- Good As Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 24, 2018-February 2, 2020; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, September 16, 2020-January 3, 2021
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Gift of Dr. Marian Ashby Johnson
- Mid-late 20th century
- Object number
- 2012-18-74
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Jewelry
- Medium
- Gold-plated silver alloy
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 3 x 3.1 x 1 cm (1 3/16 x 1 1/4 x 3/8 in.)
- Geography
- Senegal
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- Object Name
- Croix d’Agades (Cross of Agadez)
- pirloul
- trefle
- argane
- san u sébé
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- Adornment
- Female use
- cross
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_2012-18-74
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7cefa2aa1-a405-4a7a-86bd-de569a58925a
