African ethnographic antique: Senufo currency ‘boat’ ankle bracelet

A beautifully patinated Senufo (Côte d'Ivoire) ankle bracelet in cast bronze. It has an authentic patina that only comes from age. Cast using the ‘lost wax’ method. Has considerable age and probably dates from the 19th century.

It has criss-cross ‘braid’ work flanked by ‘bell-like’ spheres. It also has two punched circular decorations that might be an owners identification mark. The other side has an idiosyncratic device found on virtually all Senufo ankle bracelets. The bracelet has good weight.

Reference: ‘Africa Adorned’ Angela Fisher’ published by Collins 1984

Provenance: Ex. Romy Rey Collection.
Romy Rey (1938-2020) was born in Zurich, Switzerland. She trained as an artist in Paris and Geneva before settling in London in the early 1960s where she was a partner in two bookshops in Hampstead and Richmond. She shared her life with the artist, Brian Davies (1942-2014). The whole of her five-storey house in Richmond bustled with her “impeccably curated” collection of ethnographic art. Purchased at one of the disposal auctions

Dimensions:
183mm x 110mm x 75mm
Weight: 685gm
W1226/2

Condition: Excellent with good patina