Pendant
Unknown Artist
late 1800s–early 1900s
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
8.6 × 2.3 × 4.5 cm
Classification
Jewelry
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
René and Odette Delenne Collection, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
2010.456
About this artwork
Luba pendants made in ivory or bone were originally suspended on a cord and worn diagonally across the chest of a high-ranking member of society. Often accompanied by amulets, beads, or small antelope horns, they represented ancestral spirits and served as portals to ancestral wisdom and beneficence. Many of these diminutive figurines hold their hands to their breasts as a sign of the secrets and wisdom they contain.