Object Details
- Baule artist
- Label Text
- Gold leafing is a centuries-old technique in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. A small pellet of gold is repeatedly hammered and turned on an anvil to achieve a uniformly thin sheet. This sheet is then placed on a carved wood object and affixed with tiny metal staples or an adhesive. In addition to hair ornaments, this technique is applied to a wide variety of figures and prestige display items that are owned by individuals of high status.
- Description
- Wood and gold leaf comb and/or hair ornament surmounted by a standing bird. The upper portion of the comb and bird are decorated in zigzag and geometric designs.
- Provenance
- Judith Timyan, acquired Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire, 1974 to 1994
- 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
- Inauguration 2009, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., January 17-March 2, 2009
- Hair in African Art and Culture, Museum for African Art Long Island City, NY, February 9-May 28, 2000; Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, February 8-April 15, 2001; California African-American Museum, Los Angeles, May 14-August 15, 2001; Diggs Gallery, Winston-Salem State University, September 22-December 15, 2001
- Art of the Personal Object, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 24, 1991-April 9, 2007
- Published References
- Sieber, Roy and Frank Herreman. 2000. Hair in African Art and Culture. New York: Museum for African Art; Munich: Prestel, p. 126, no. 116.
- 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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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 Judith Timyan
- Early to mid-20th century
- Object number
- 94-3-1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Sculpture
- Medium
- Wood, gold leaf, thread
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 15.6 x 4.1 x 1.5 cm (6 1/8 x 1 5/8 x 9/16 in.)
- Geography
- Côte d'Ivoire
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- bird
- Adornment
- geometric motif
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_94-3-1
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys789f4cc7f-95dc-482d-bba7-87d0e162bc70
