1474

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    Stained Kina Shell Necklace

    Southern Highlands, New Guinea
    early 20th century

    width: 20cm, height: 16cm

    Sold

    Provenance

    acquired on the UK art market, and probably has been in the UK since colonial times.

    – scroll down to see further images –

    This pectoral ornament or necklace comprises a crescent form kina shell segment with applied red pigment, pierced at either end and suspended from a wide plaited fibre band decorated with two cowrie shells.

    Such shells were used for ornamentation but also as a form of currency and were traded many times over.

    The necklace is large and decorative. There is a small nick to the outer edge of the shell, but any such fritting seems consistent with age and use.

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