Pendant (Ulute or Papafita)

Unknown

19th–early 20th century · Tridacna shell, fiber, pigment · Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

The Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific form a double chain, roughly 850 miles long, between New Britain and Vanuatu. The archipelago is remarkable for the richness of its decorative arts, which serve to adorn the human body and embellish ceremonial and utilitarian objects. Solomon Islanders are particularly remarkable for their sophisticated traditions of shell inlay, in which delicately carved sections of mother-of-pearl or white shell are inset into the surfaces of wood objects. Artists produce ornate jewelry and personal ornaments fashioned from shell, porpoise teeth, turtle shell, and other materials. They also create, or created, diverse forms of valuables and ceremonial objects from the hard marble-like shell of the giant clam. Although Western culture has had a considerable impact on the archipelago, many of these art forms continue to flourish today.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th–early 20th century

Medium

Tridacna shell, fiber, pigment

Culture

Solomon Islander

Department

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Credit line

Bequest of John B. Elliott, 1997