Description

A silver-plate necklace designed by Winifred Mason Chenet. Thirteen silver pendants are linked by circular chain and joined together by a hook clasp. The top of each pendant has a circle attached on each horizontal edge and a piece of silver is hooked on each circle creating a scroll design. The pendant design symbolizes a Haitian drum. The top of the pendant represents the skin used on the top of a drum that is tied to the wooden body with a rope. Underneath the rope design, the drum skin is gathered and folded over itself. On the body of the drum is an upraised circular design. The bottom of the drum is represented by two stacked circles on top of each other to show how the drum narrows at the bottom to a ridged column. The back of seven of the pendants contain the designer's signature [chenet d'HAITI] with varying levels of legibility based on fading.

Record Contributed By

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Record Harvested From

Smithsonian Institution