Breast ornament

Description

Ornament (kapkap), brow or breast ornament made from a circle of clam shell (Tridacna) overlaid with an openwork of turtle-shell and worn as a symbol of authority or power: Oceania, Melanesia, Papua New Guinea, Admiralty Islands, 19th century

Museum reference

A.1876.33.51 A

Collection

Oceania

Object name

Breast ornament, Brow ornament

Production information

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

Date

19th century

Style / Culture

Melanesian

Materials

Clam shell (Tridacna), Turtle-shell

Physical description

Shell and tortoiseshell

Exhibitions

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

On display

national museum of scotland »
level 3 »
world cultures, facing the sea »
pr.2