Arm Band with Bells
Silver jewelry is part of a long tradition of metalworking among Fon people in the former Kingdom of Dahomey (Danhomé), located in the present-day Republic of Benin. Before the French conquest in 1892-94, Dahomey was governed by a succession of rulers who amassed large armies of male and female warriors. They conquered neighboring people, incorporating some into their realm and selling others in the lucrative trans-Atlantic slave trade.
When coins containing silver, copper, and zinc replaced cowrie shells as the main form of currency, highly skilled metal workers attached to the royal court—the most prominent being from the Hontondji family—used these materials, as well as disassembled imported items like clocks, watches, metal toys, and dining implements, to create a great variety of objects for local use. Silver became the metal of choice to decorate weapons, altars, and shrines for honoring the gods and ancestors. High status individuals wore jewelry made from recycled metals and also incorporated small pieces from imported objects.
Remarkable, large sculptures made of wood covered with silver sheeting impressed nineteenth-century European visitors. They described a tall silver candelabra in the form of a tree, a six-foot tall silver stork, and an immense silver skull, among other impressive works.
After 1894, when Abomey, the capital of the Fon Kingdom, came under French colonial rule, metal smiths created many objects of personal adornment for a new Fon ruling class, some of whom by then were colonial officials appointed by the French. Silver arm bands, bracelets, and headbands made of metal alloys including copper, zinc, and silver were constructed of multiple elements joined by loops, chains, and wire. The assemblages sometimes included small sculptures of umbrellas, canons, animals, dangling European coins, and (in later years) airplanes and automobiles.
Assemblage and the incorporation of imagery from diverse cultures is a defining characteristic of the art of Dahomey (Blier 2004). While neighboring people—including the Asante, in present day Ghana, the Baule, in Cote d’Ivoire, and the Yoruba in Nigeria—used lost wax casting as their main metal working technique, the Fon did not adopt this method until the first quarter of the 20th century. They then began to fabricate small stand-alone figures, mostly sold to foreigners, and tiny objects that were incorporated into jewelry.
The metal composition of silver jewelry reflects the changing sources of metal. Prior to the colonial period, the composition of Fon silver mirrored that of coins and decorative items provided by European trade (70-80% silver, 20-30% copper). Twentieth-century Fon silver was generally made from an alloy containing copper as a major component (Howe 2000).
Enid Schildkrout, 2026
Curator Emerita, American Museum of Natural History
When coins containing silver, copper, and zinc replaced cowrie shells as the main form of currency, highly skilled metal workers attached to the royal court—the most prominent being from the Hontondji family—used these materials, as well as disassembled imported items like clocks, watches, metal toys, and dining implements, to create a great variety of objects for local use. Silver became the metal of choice to decorate weapons, altars, and shrines for honoring the gods and ancestors. High status individuals wore jewelry made from recycled metals and also incorporated small pieces from imported objects.
Remarkable, large sculptures made of wood covered with silver sheeting impressed nineteenth-century European visitors. They described a tall silver candelabra in the form of a tree, a six-foot tall silver stork, and an immense silver skull, among other impressive works.
After 1894, when Abomey, the capital of the Fon Kingdom, came under French colonial rule, metal smiths created many objects of personal adornment for a new Fon ruling class, some of whom by then were colonial officials appointed by the French. Silver arm bands, bracelets, and headbands made of metal alloys including copper, zinc, and silver were constructed of multiple elements joined by loops, chains, and wire. The assemblages sometimes included small sculptures of umbrellas, canons, animals, dangling European coins, and (in later years) airplanes and automobiles.
Assemblage and the incorporation of imagery from diverse cultures is a defining characteristic of the art of Dahomey (Blier 2004). While neighboring people—including the Asante, in present day Ghana, the Baule, in Cote d’Ivoire, and the Yoruba in Nigeria—used lost wax casting as their main metal working technique, the Fon did not adopt this method until the first quarter of the 20th century. They then began to fabricate small stand-alone figures, mostly sold to foreigners, and tiny objects that were incorporated into jewelry.
The metal composition of silver jewelry reflects the changing sources of metal. Prior to the colonial period, the composition of Fon silver mirrored that of coins and decorative items provided by European trade (70-80% silver, 20-30% copper). Twentieth-century Fon silver was generally made from an alloy containing copper as a major component (Howe 2000).
Enid Schildkrout, 2026
Curator Emerita, American Museum of Natural History
Artwork Details
- Title: Arm Band with Bells
- Artist: Fon artist
- Date: 19th–mid-20th century
- Geography: Republic of Benin
- Culture: Fon peoples
- Medium: Silver alloy
- Dimensions: H. 2 × W. 3 1/2 × D. 3 1/2 in. (5.1 × 8.9 × 8.9 cm)
- Classification: Metal-Ornaments
- Credit Line: Gift of Charles and Harriet Edwards, 1988
- Object Number: 1988.411.40
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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