Masquerades (African Masks)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Masquerades are multimedia events that often include not one but several masked dancers embodying various spirits. For example, annual Egungun masquerades bring the ancestors back to town dressed in sumptuous cloths. Families own the masquerades, so as many as possible who can afford the cost of the elaborate costumes and other requirements for participating are represented in the week-long festival.
Sheffield Plate
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
An older form of plated silver originally made during the 18th century in Sheffield, England, by rolling sheets of silver over a copper base.
Nickel Silver
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
A base metal composed of copper, nickel, and zinc, often called German silver or white metal.
Electroplating
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Electroplating is the process of coating a base metal with gold, silver, or nickel by means of a cyanide solution and electricity. The English firm of Elkington & Co. patented the process in 1840.
Coin Silver
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Coin silver contains 900 parts per 1,000 pure silver; the remaining metal is mostly copper.
Casting
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Cast pieces were made by pouring molten metal into a negative mold to produce an object in the round. These molds may have been hand carved or made of baked clay formed around a model.
1840-1925, United States, The American Silver Industry
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In the second half of the 19th century, American silver manufacturers became regarded as among the best in the world. This marked a surprising shift in international recognition, as most American silverware produced before the 1840s was made in small shops for a local market, usually imitating fashionable European styles.
Alloy
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
An alloy is the mixture of two or more compatible metals, either naturally occurring or made by melting the two together to form a homogeneous mass.
Seated male figure (1994.200.McD)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Among the Baule people of central Côte d'Ivoire, barren women consult male or female diviners (komien), who become possessed by a nature spirit (asie usu) or by a Mbra (deity) during the diving ritual. To welcome the spirits and, thus, encourage them to speak, diviners beautify shrine rooms with decorations and sculptures. Baule clients may not look at these figures, which are usually concealed under white cloths.
Art to Aid Conception and Birth
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
"Children are better than riches," declares an African proverb. Children obviously represent continuity from one generation to the next, but they are crucial for other reasons. Most importantly, they fulfill the biological roles of males and females, demonstrating their sexual identity, virility, and fertility.