African Currency – Bamum Bracelet – Cameroon

The piece is 12,0 width x 15,0 high (4.72″ x 5.90″). Gr. 475,3 (16.76 oz.).

This massive ornate copper-alloy (bronze or brass) bracelet is a form of currency found among the Bamum (Bamun) people of Cameroon. Though often identified as a currency type it also served as a prestige object available in most instances to elites within Bamum society. Featuring a complex series of patterns this hollow cast bracelet is decorated with concentric circles at both edges separated by a series of dots, lines, zig-zag patterns and a center section arranged as a complex interlace design. This massive, heavy and hollow cast bracelet is an extraordinary example of the skill of the Bamun bronze caster in casting a large metal form with complex design on the outer surface and a smooth interior surface with an open space between both surfaces.