1474
Enquiry about object: 1474
Stained Kina Shell Necklace
Southern Highlands, New Guinea early 20th century
width: 20cm, height: 16cm
Sold
Provenance
acquired on the UK art market, and probably has been in the UK since colonial times.
This pectoral ornament or necklace comprises a crescent form kina shell segment with applied red pigment, pierced at either end and suspended from a wide plaited fibre band decorated with two cowrie shells.
Such shells were used for ornamentation but also as a form of currency and were traded many times over.
The necklace is large and decorative. There is a small nick to the outer edge of the shell, but any such fritting seems consistent with age and use.
