Senufo
Côte d'Ivoire or Burkina Faso
Northern Africa and the Sahel
Ring Depicting a Chameleon
INV-1931
Senufo
Côte d'Ivoire or Burkina Faso
Northern Africa and the Sahel19th/mid–20th century
Ring Depicting a Chameleon
Senufo Côte d'Ivoire or Burkina Faso Northern Africa and the Sahel →senufoArts of Africaafrican ArtNorthern Africa and the Sahelring (jewelry)copper alloy
Date
19th/mid–20th century
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
4.8 × 4.3 × 2.9 cm (1 7/8 × 1 11/16 × 1 1/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Muriel Kallis Newman
Small cast copper-alloy ornaments are made across West Africa within the arc of the great Niger River. Brass or bronze casting has powerful associations with the supernatural because, like ironworking, it is a highly specialized process that uses fire to transform a raw material into a form that is useful and meaningful to humans. For the Senufo, copper-alloy ornaments are pleasing to the eye and offer protection by representing and honoring nature spirits.
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