Bracelet with coin pendants c. late 19th century

This bracelet with coin pendants was made by a Fon artist, and is currently held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The Fon people are the largest ethnic group in Benin, West Africa. It’s likely that this bracelet was made during or after the period of French colonial rule, given that the coins appear to be French. The French occupied Benin from the late 19th century until 1960. The imagery on the coins provides important context. What do they depict? What do they tell us about the relationship between colonial administrators and the local population? Studying an object like this forces us to think about the wider structures of trade, value, and labor under colonialism. Museum collections and archives are crucial resources in answering these questions, as well as careful formal analysis. Art always exists within a social and institutional context.