Description:
hinged wood carved with geometric forms and leaf-form motifs
Label Text:
Occupying the region of southern Ghana once called the Gold Coast, Akan societies are known for lavish displays of gold by royal and priestly classes. Among the Asante, the largest and most documented Akan subgroup, gold is the primary indicator of rank. Hinged benfra-type bracelets are primarily associated with chiefs. A chief’s complete ensemble could incorporate twenty or more gold accessories, including sandals, crowns, rings, and pendants. According to Doran Ross, chiefs typically wear benfra bracelets on the left wrist, although such conventions are not always strictly observed. Intricate designs, however, are standard: a dominant cone balances radiating geometric and leaf forms that run the breadth of the wearer’s arm. This accessory’s symbolic meaning may be restricted to the erudite Asante elite.
KG, 2010
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+1979.135 |
