A Masai Kenya woman's coiled bronze wire armband, 19th century, 19in (48cm) l.
Provenance: Ex Walter Potter Museum, Bramber, Sussex. Ex Jamaica Inn Museum, Bolventor, Cornwall.
Note: The Masai women of Kenya wore these thick bronze wire coils on their arms and legs as well as their necks. Worn as a symbol of wealth, they were usually acquired by a girl at the time of her marriage, often as a gift from the brides parents.
