Fine Massive Bamum Bracelet – African Currency – Cameroon

Description

Fine Massive Bamum Bracelet – African Currency – Cameroon
Bronze; grams 664,0 (23.42 oz); Cm. 15,5 high x cm 14,0 width (6.10" x 5.51").
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.
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