Torque / Collar Akure
Fang, Gabon
Brass
Early 20th century

Brass collars were traditionally associated with wealth and prestige. In general, collars were originally worn by chiefs, but later became a type of currency exchanged in large or major transactions. In the early 19th century they were adopted by married women who wore them permanently, only tolerating their weight for the prestige they conferred. 

In D.R. Congo and Gabon the lost wax method, used widely across West Africa, was not known; casting was done by the open mould technique, where the metal was poured into a designed impression in the ground, and then shaped with a wooden hammer (Fisher, Africa Adorned, 1984). 

Weight: 526g

4.5 x 4.75 x 1.125 in :: 11.5 x 12 x 2.75 cm

InventoryID #13-2546

SOLD