Pectoral (The Rao Pectoral) and Five Gold Beads
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The exceptional quality and weight (6.7 ounces) of this pectoral make it the most impressive of the burial goods found at a site in northwest Senegal. Its decoration, elaborated in registers of bosses, arabesques, and diamond patterns made out of filigree, suggests an awareness of Islamic workmanship. The practice of erecting large mounds, or tumuli, over the graves of important individuals in the Sahel is related to commemorative practices and beliefs that preceded the arrival of Islam and continued well beyond its adoption into the fourteenth century.
Artwork Details
- Title: Pectoral (The Rao Pectoral) and Five Gold Beads
- Date: 12th–13th century
- Geography: Senegal, Rao/Nguiguela
- Medium: Gold
- Dimensions: Pectoral: Diam. 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm)
- Classifications: Metal-Ornaments, Metalwork-Gold
- Credit Line: Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal (IFAN) (41 32)
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing