Senufo Pectoral with Bird Form, Based

A bronze pendant with the silhouette of a bird, wings opened like a cloak.

Senufo metalworkers of the Ivory Coast, West Africa, made this pectoral with a bird form in bronze in the early 20th century. Pectorals and pendants are commonly worn as ornaments and as signs of rank. A loop at the top leads into a central bird shape, whose wings sweep around in two long curved panels decorated with incised lines and dots. The bronze is a mellow brown and gold. It is mounted on a black stand.

About 10 inches tall. A pendant at wall-art scale.