necklace, unrecorded Maasai artist

Artwork Overview

unrecorded Maasai artist, necklace
unrecorded Maasai artist, necklace
unrecorded Maasai artist
necklace
late 1800s–1975
unrecorded Maasai artist, artist
necklace, late 1800s–1975
Where object was made: Kenya
Material/technique: leather; rawhide; metal; beads; wire
Dimensions:
Object Length/Diameter (Length x Diameter): 26 x 18 cm
Object Length/Diameter (Length x Diameter): 10 1/4 x 7 1/16 in
Credit line: Anonymous gift
Accession number: 2007.0911
Not on display
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Spencer Museum of Art Highlights

The Maasai of East Africa craft beaded jewelry to communicate vital aspects of personal identity, including ideals of beauty and strength, age, wealth, and social and marital status. Historically, the Maasai made beads from locally available raw materials such as seeds, shells, dried grasses, and wood. However, when European traders arrived in the region in the 1800s, many Maasai instead used the colorful glass trade beads to create their jewelry. Although this shift in materials represents a rupture in traditional practice, the vibrant shades of the glass beads, such as those used to create this adornment, nevertheless allow the Maasai to maintain and express their deep belief in color symbolism.

Google Art Project

The Maasai of East Africa craft beaded jewelry to communicate vital aspects of personal identity, including ideals of beauty and strength, age, wealth, and social and marital status. Historically, the Maasai made beads from locally available raw materials such as seeds, shells, dried grasses, and wood. However, when European traders arrived in the region in the 1800s, many Maasai instead used the colorful glass trade beads to create their jewelry. Although this shift in materials represents a rupture in traditional practice, the vibrant shades of the glass beads, such as those used to create this adornment, nevertheless allow the Maasai to maintain and express their deep belief in color symbolism.

Exhibitions

Teaching Gallery: African Beadwork
2011
Google Art Project
2016