Belt
| Culture | Solomon Islands |
|---|---|
| Title | Belt |
| Date | 20th century |
| Medium | Shell beads, tortoise shell, fiber, and and porpoise teeth |
| Dimensions | Object: 22 1/4 × 2 7/8 × 7/8 in. (56.5 × 7.3 × 2.2 cm) Overall (length with ties): 35 1/2 × 2 7/8 × 7/8 in. (90.2 × 7.3 × 2.2 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 74.42.6 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A belt of nine strands of shell beads with alternating black and red sections. The sections are separated by bone strips and there is a section of white porpoise teeth in the center.
Solomon island shell belts were not only displays of personal wealth and adornment used to enhance the physical beauty of the wearer but were also used as a form of currency. Belts such as this one were reserved for special uses such as a bride price, the purchasing of a canoe, or a redemptive offering to an ancestor or spirit.
This belt uses the red, black, and white color scheme common to the arts of the Solomon Islands.
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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Cite this page
"Belt | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=74.42.6