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Pendant (Ulute or Papafita)

19th–early 20th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 353
The Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific form a double chain, roughly 850 miles long, between New Britain and Vanuatu. The archipelago is remarkable for the richness of its decorative arts, which serve to adorn the human body and embellish ceremonial and utilitarian objects. Solomon Islanders are particularly remarkable for their sophisticated traditions of shell inlay, in which delicately carved sections of mother-of-pearl or white shell are inset into the surfaces of wood objects. Artists produce ornate jewelry and personal ornaments fashioned from shell, porpoise teeth, turtle shell, and other materials. They also create, or created, diverse forms of valuables and ceremonial objects from the hard marble-like shell of the giant clam. Although Western culture has had a considerable impact on the archipelago, many of these art forms continue to flourish today.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Pendant (Ulute or Papafita)
  • Date: 19th–early 20th century
  • Geography: Solomon Islands, Possibly Malaita Island, Possibly Malaita province
  • Culture: Solomon Islander
  • Medium: Tridacna shell, fiber, pigment
  • Dimensions: H. 2 1/2 × W. 2 1/4 × D. 1/8 in. (6.4 × 5.7 × 0.3 cm)
  • Classification: Shell-Ornaments
  • Credit Line: Bequest of John B. Elliott, 1997
  • Object Number: 1999.47.21
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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