Armlet
Artist unknown, Pacific Islander
Artist Unidentified, Pacific Islander
20th century, 1950–2000
Object PlacePapua New Guinea
Medium/TechniqueTortoiseshell
DimensionsOverall: 19 x 10 x 12.5 cm (7 1/2 x 3 15/16 x 4 15/16 in.)
* use diameter (?)
* use diameter (?)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2754
On View
Not on viewClassificationsJewelry / Adornment
Collections
Tortoiseshell armlets are cherished items of men's adornment in New Guinea. Manufactured on the coast, they spread along trade routes throughout northern New Guinea, becoming more valuable as they moved farther inland.
Provenance1967, acquired in Angoram, Sepik, Papua New Guinea by Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
