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Moscow, Houston museums cooperate on 'African Gold' exhibit

Staff -- Interior Design, 12/11/2001 12:07:00 PM

The State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow has begun exhibiting 'African Gold: Selections from the Glassell Colection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The exhibit marks the first full exhibition exchange between the two institutions since they formed an international partnership in October 2000.

'African Gold' comprises a collection of 131 objects from the collection given to the MFAH by Alfred C. Glassell, Jr., chairman emeritus and Life Trustee. It is the only substantial collection of African gold in an American museum.

The exhibit began on Dec. 3 and will run through March 3, 2002.

'The Pushkin Museum's presentaion of Selections from the Glassell Collection is its first-ever exhibition of African gold,' said Peter Marzio, director of the MFAH. 'This museum is pleased to share this outstanding collection with museum-goers in Moscow.'

'In receiving this exhibition of unique items taken from the most important collection of African gold in the world, we give our visitors the opportunity to expand their understanding of art, for our museum does not have similar cultural artifacts,' said Irina Antonova, director of the Pushkin Museum. 'We hope this exhibition will be met with great interest and elicit a lively response from the museum audience.'

The exhibition showcases works from the 19th and early 20th centuries created by the Akan peoples of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, formerly called the Gold Coast. It includes court regalia such as swords, knives, linguist staffs, crowns and soul washer badges used in ceremonies, processions and festivals, as well as items of personal adornment such as bracelets, cast gold bead necklaces, ear ornaments and rings.

Among the spectacular Akan military regalia included are swords used in rituals, ceremonies, festivals and processions. They were carried by the chief;s attendants at oath-of-office ceremonies and in purification rites for the chief's soul. The swords have no cutting edge and were never used for warfare. The sword handles are carved from wood and then covered in thin gold. Some are decorated with cast gold ornaments.

Five Akan crown on display demonstrate how the chiefs distinguished themselves with the choice of head adornment.

The Glassell Collection, which contains roughly 900 works, was given to the MFAH in October 1998.