Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, probably Baule-style goldsmith / 1930 or earlier
Pendant: Crocodile
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Pendant: Crocodile as jewelry (Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, probably Baule-style goldsmith · 1930 or earlier).
A goldsmith had to create superfine rolls of wax to make the texture of this piece; the wax was used to make a mold into which liquid gold was poured.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this jewelry as Gold.
The museum's collection notes: This pendant was cast in gold using the lost-wax method. Gold objects are the only Baule art forms associated with ancestor spirits. Pendants can have many uses. Usually hidden in pots or suitcases, gold adornments can be displayed on important occasions such as funerals. They can be laid out around the corpse before burial. A widow will wear them on a chain around her neck or attached to her hair at the ceremony signaling the end of mourning.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPendant: CrocodileOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.