Arm ornament

Description

Arm ornament made from a section of a trochus shell and decorated on the outer surface with incised and blackened cross-hatched lines, worn by women as a sign of rank: Oceania, Melanesia, Papua New Guinea, Admiralty Islands, 19th century

Museum reference

A.1956.893

Collection

Oceania

Object name

Arm ornament

Production information

Unknown
Admiralty Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia

Date

19th century

Style / Culture

Melanesian

Materials

Trochus shell

Physical description

Trochus niloticus shell; decorated with incised and blackened cross-hatched triangles

Associations

Collector: Buchanan, John Young, 1844 - 1925
Challenger Expedition, 1872 - 1876

Exhibitions

• Facing the Sea (29 Jul 2011)
  National Museum of Scotland

On display

national museum of scotland »
level 3 »
world cultures, facing the sea »
pf.4