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Armlet
Coastal Region
20th century, 1950–2000
Object Place: Sepik River, Papua New Guinea
Medium/Technique
Tortoiseshell
Dimensions
Overall: 19 x 10 x 12.5 cm (7 1/2 x 3 15/16 x 4 15/16 in.)
* use diameter (?)
* use diameter (?)
Credit Line
Gift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession Number2009.2754
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Contemporary Art, Africa and Oceania
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Bracelets and armlets
Tortoiseshell armlets are cherished items of men's adornment in New Guinea. Manufactured on the coast, they spread along trade routes throughout northern New Guinea, becoming more valuable as they moved farther inland.
Provenance1967, acquired in Angoram, Sepik, Papua New Guinea by Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)