Glittering as gold

Regarded as inferior in Western eyes, in sub-Saharan Africa copper proved to be a much coveted material which was applied in bodily adornments, in statuettes and as a means of exchange. Brass became a highly valued metal almost rivalling gold in lustre as well as glitter: a typical West African and Central African phenomenon. Among certain African ethnic groups, adornments served not only to distinguish oneself, they could also be regarded the most personal mementoes of the wearer after his or her demise, and were placed as an aide-memoire on the family altar in order to present oblations to on appropriate occasions. From the many hundreds of items included in the collection acquired by Harry and Miep Schillings, this book introduces some hundred items chosen on the basis of their shape, rarity and decorative motifs.