breast ornament (personal adornment)

Crescent-shaped breast ornament made of gold-lipped pearl shell with a plaited vegetable fibre cord. At the end points of the ornament are the carved shapes of frigate bird heads. The front of the shell is inscribed with 'Lee Coll / Solomon Is / Breast ornt / food bowl'.

Crescent pendant of pearlshell, for the neck. An inscription on the pendant reads: Lee Cove, Solomon Is, Breast ornt, food bowl. Lee Cove has yet to be identified.The resemblance to a food bowl is also noted for a similar crescent pendant in the British Museum (Oc+1159) and would seem to be a local observation, but pearlshell crescents of various shapes were worn from Makira to western Solomons, see Burt 2009, 110.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
24.74
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 134 mm x 78 mm x 16 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
mother of pearl; vegetable fibre
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
World Gallery > Oceania > Sea crossing
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Collection Information

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