Earring, D88.168

Brass earrings for pierced ears. Earrings are apparently identical suggesting they have been stamped - not hammered - out of sheet brass. Shapes are of crescent moons. A heavy brass wire has been soldered to one tip of crescent moon. The wire extends over to the other tip of crescent but is not attached. Wire could be inserted through pierced ear and pushed back in to place to assure it would stay in the ear. Various designs are stamped over the earrings surface (identical on both earrings). Main design is a crescent moon enclosing a single star. A single star lies outside each point of the stamped crescent moon. Various geometric designs, curls, and dots - also stamped - fill the areas around the stars - lie over the surface of the earrings.

Would be consistent with donor's description of being from Maiduguri, Bornu Province, Northeastern Nigeria. Metal/brass. Earrings (pair) for pierced ears. Brass earrings for pierced ears. Earrings are apparently identical suggesting they have been stamped - not hammered - out of sheet brass. Shapes are of crescent moons. A heavy brass wire has been soldered to one tip of crescent moon. The wire extends over to the other tip of crescent but is not attached. Wire could be inserted through pierced ear and pushed back in to place to assure it would stay in the ear. Various designs are stamped over the earrings surface (identical on both earrings). Main design is a crescent moon enclosing a single star. A single star lies outside each point of the stamped crescent moon. Various geometric designs, curls, and dots - also stamped - fill the areas around the stars - lie over the surface of the earrings. Diameter of earring = approx. 48.3mm. Thickness of metal = approx. 0.6mm. Thickness of wire = approx. 1.4mm. —Joel A Vanderburg

Donated

Locality Nigeria