Bamun Currency Bracelet

ITEM NAME:
Bamun Currency Bracelet
ITEM #:
5595
ETHNICITY:
Bamun
ORIGIN:
Cameroon
MEDIUM:
Bronze.
DIMENSIONS:
3.5″ (8.25 cm) x 5.5″ (3.97cm)
CONDITION:
Good.

PROVENANCE:
Private Collection – California, USA.

CATALOGUE NOTE:

This massive ornate bracelet is a form of currency found among the Bamum (Bamun) people of Cameroon. Though often identified as a currency type it also served as a prestige object available in most instances to elites within Bamum society. Featuring a complex series of patterns this hollow cast bracelet is decorated with a series of lines, zig-zag patterns and a center section arranged as a complex interlace design.  This massive, heavy and hollow cast bracelet is an extraordinary example of the skill of the Bamun bronze caster in casting a large metal form with complex design on the outer surface and a smooth interior surface with an open space between both surfaces