Baoulé Manilla Anklet
Baoulé / Akan
Baoulé Kingdom - Côte d' Ivoire, French West Africa (Central Region of the Ivory Coast)
19th century
Bronze
Outside Diameter: 13cm
Inside Diameter: 7,3cm
Length Opened: 24,1cm
Height: 5,1cm
Collection Date: 2020
Collection Number: 115

Ex. Max Lewin: Asheville, North Carolina, USA (2020)
Ex. Marcel Gibrat Collection: New York City, New York, USA : Purchased between 1965 - 1991

A large manilla anklet from the Baoulé People of the Ivory Coast. Worn by Akan women and used as an element of identity, prestige, and rank. They could be worn for ceremonial functions as part of costume and when the wearer was seated. The manilla anklets were also a form of currency that could be traded for purchases or used as compensation. They held a higher value than the traditional smaller horseshoe manilla bracelets that were more regularly traded. Manilla can be found throughout West Africa and was the first general purpose form of currency in the region.

A cast bronze using the lost wax technique of two bulbous semi- circles with a hinged lockable design that allows the anklet to be secured to the bottom ankle. Decorated in traditional geometric, linear, and concentric Akan patterns. A large, heavy, older example with beautiful patina and motifs.

This item was purchased from Max Lewin, who is the curator and grandson of Marcel Gibrat. Marcel worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan as a restorer and later owned a Madison Avenue Restoration Studio and Art Gallery near the Guggenheim Museum. He began purchasing antiquities and tribal art in the early to mid 1960s when most of his collection was purchased and continued as a collector, restorer, and dealer into the better part of three decades later until his passing.

[1] https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/314909

[2] https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/314568

[3] https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1991-13-2

[4] https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1991-13-3

[5] https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/100880

[6] https://www.pagodared.com/items/baule-currency-anklet

[7] https://www.karlssonandwickman.com/new-products/enr16zijooku577011afxoeo45vmn8

[8]https://www.michaelbackmanltd.com/object/baule-bronze-currency-anklet/