Pair of Earrings

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Culture Maasai

Title Pair of Earrings

Date Mid 20th century

Medium Glass beads, wire, metal, and and buttons

Dimensions Object: 11 × 3 1/8 in. (27.9 × 7.9 cm)
Overall: 11 x 3 1/8 in. (27.9 x 7.9 cm)

Credit Line Museum Purchase with Funds from the Jacqueline O'Brien Art Acquisitions Fund, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 2009.7

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About this Work

Distinctive in appearance, Maasai jewelry emphasizes the use of imported glass beads, but other manufactured objects—here in the form of buttons—are frequently also incorporated. These earrings, which were worn by a woman, also illustrate the color complementarity that is a hallmark of Maasai aesthetics. Though meant to be worn together, one earring is not identical to the other; rather, the colors for one earring were chosen to complement those of the other in order to create what was considered a balance between light and dark.

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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Pair of Earrings | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2009.7