Object Details
- Label Text
- This elaborately decorated box was probably used to store valuables. It is made of copper alloy sheet metal, and the interior is lined with leather. The form and decoration of the box--the use of metal overlays and studs, the circular pieces of black wood set in bezeled silver and the style of the lock--reveal its connection to Mauritanian art, but the engraved designs are Tuareg in character. The elongated oval motifs on the top represent lizards, which are associated with Tuareg smiths because the shape of the lizards tail resembles the files smiths use. On the sides of the box, the engraved motifs of ovals enclosed in circles reflect the form of protective amulets. The large circles on the top of the box represent the sun and constellations, which the nomadic Tuareg use as guides. This box was probably made by a Mauritanian smith.
- Description
- A: Box cast in individual pieces of contrasting coppery alloy and silver and then soldered. The top part is two pierced circles with a copper alloy bead in the middle. A triangle shape sits on top with the end pointed down. The middle is arrow shaped with the pointed end up and two concave pieces on each side with a copper alloy ball at either end of the arrow. Just below are pierced rectangle and circular shapes. In between is a pierced semi-circle. Just above and below are other copper alloy beads. Each of the beads is riveted with a metal rod. Stamped and engraved decoration appears over the surface and is worn smooth. B: The rectangle-shaped box is inlaid with circular and triangular pieces of copper and what is possibly ebony. Each of the latter is framed with silver. Silver and copper alloy beads are secured at the back hinges, one silver and two copper alloy beads on each side and one copper and two silver beads at the front opening. The designs are stamped and engraved over the entire surface. The inside is lined with a dyed leather. The box also has a copper alloy and iron lock and a copper alloy handle on top with two beads.
- Provenance
- Private European collection, collected Niger or Mali, 1959-1971 to 1993
- Exhibition History
- Caravans of Gold Fragments in Time, Block Museum of Art, Evanston, IL, January 26, 2019–July 21, 2019; The Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Canada, September 21, 2019–February 23, 2020; Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C., July 16, 2021 – February 27, 2022
- Africa: The Art of a Continent, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, June 5-September 29, 1996
- Art from the Forge, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 6, 1995-January 2, 1996
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Moor artist
- Date
- Early to mid-20th century
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase and gift of Mrs. Florence Selden in memory of Carl L. Selden
- Medium
- Brass, copper, silver, iron, wood, leather
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 13.3 x 22.0 x 17.5 cm (5 1/4 x 8 11/16 x 6 7/8 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
