Featured MMA Bracelet

Evening All
I’d like to learn more about this bracelet please.
It’s stamped MMA and the copyright circle so am I right thinking it’s likely to be a Museum of Metropolitan Art gift shop piece?
If so, what is it a copy of or what does it represent? Or nothing and it’s just a nice tactile bracelet?!
It’s heavy and made up of little discs on a slightly flexible core. No hallmark but polishes up nicely so I think silver plated.
Thanks for any input

 

It's certainly one of their replicas, which are good quality. I'm a bit perplexed as to what ethnicity it is. Indian maybe.

@Any Jewelry

 

Can't help, other than that I like it. It looks 20th century Western to me, rather than non-Western.

Germany did export early plastic disc beads (type of plastic slipped my mind) to Africa between 1900 and 1940, but those discs are coloured. And plastic, of course.
I have an Ashanti disc necklace somewhere, but don't seem to have a photo of it. Never mind, it is very different anyway.

 

Well if you two are a bit stumped I feel better that I didn’t come up with anything on my searches
It sort of has a slightly ancient Egyptian feel to me but that’s not based on any facts or knowledge and not backed up by anything on the internet!

 

Heishi disc bracelets are the most similar but not silver that I can find.

 

No, heishi isn't made in silver.
Ostrich shell discs are also similar, but obviously not silver either.

 

Probably a stupid question, but did you try the MMA gift shop?
I thought MMA stood for Museum of Modern Art, btw.

 

MMA is The Met-Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Modern is MoMA-Museum of Modern Art.

Pretty sure the Met will identify with an emailed pic. Good looking repro! Has an ethnic vibe for me.

 

Of course! Thanks for reminding me.

 

Great idea! Thankyou.

I’ve not heard of MoMA , I’ll keep my eyes open.

 

Maybe an interpretation of?

 

Not among the Met's current offering of bracelets:

https://store.metmuseum.org/jewelry-watches/bracelets

 

Thankyou for looking. I have emailed them to ask although they must have thousands of designs going through the gift shop so it’s a big ask. Worth a try though as I’d like to know.
They aren’t cheap are they but I suppose as Reader says they are well made.

 

Meanwhile, I did find one photo of the Ashanti necklace, a close up with the pendant. You can see the discs, German import 1900-1940.

 

That’s very nice.
What does the design of the pendant signify?

 

It is based on an Akan/Ashanti proverb. Something about being united in spite of having different views. I think.
I have it written down somewhere, along with the Ashanti name for such a proverb pendant.

 

If it's not from the NYC museum it might be a mixed martial arts accessory...

[ducks and runs for cover]

Your piece (in a gold plated version) is described here as "Egyptian revival tribal", KSW -- so I don't think the person who posted it really knows either:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/815855288734266521/

 

Well found Ham!.
Interesting they think Egyptian too but as you say, they are probably as clueless as me!.

 

It wasn't "Egyptian" that made me think they were clueless so much as the stringing together of "Egyptian revival" and "tribal". And "vintage". (Which of course is the cue for one of the board's more learned members to explain that this is indeed obviously early 1950s ERT... )

 

IMO the bracelet is definitely from the Met and to the best of my knowledge they only reproduce pieces in the collection and describe those items as they are catalogued.

The Met and MoMA (Moe ma) are the top two US art museums IMO. I grew up practically living at the Art Institute of Chicago which is also an outstanding institution but if i could only visit 2 museums anywhere for the rest of my life they’d be the Met and the Modern-then again, my own personal art interest is pretty much the ancient classical world and post WWll American art.