{"type":"artobject","objectid":36847,"objectnumber":"1998-909","sortnumber":"1998  909","displaytitle":"H-shaped ingot (\"Katanga cross\" or possibly handa)","department":"African and Oceanic Art","classification":"Coins and Currency","datebegin":1800,"dateend":1899,"datecomputed":1850,"daterange":"A.D. 1850-1900","displaydate":"ca. 19th century","medium":"Copper alloy","dimensions":"29.5 × 44.1 × 4.5 cm (11 5/8 × 17 3/8 × 1 3/4 in.)","dimensionsproposed":"","creditline":"The John B. Elliott, Class of 1951, Collection","markings":null,"inscribed":null,"signed":null,"catalograisonne":null,"creditlinerepro":"","restrictions":null,"nowebuse":"False","secondaryobjectnumber":null,"campuscollections":"false","on_view":true,"accessionyear":"1998-01-01","newaccession":0,"titles":[{"title":"H-shaped ingot (\"Katanga cross\" or possibly handa)","titletype":"Primary Title","displayorder":1}],"makers":[{"id":22875,"displayname":"Artist unrecorded","displaydate":null,"datebegin":0,"dateend":0,"prefix":null,"suffix":null,"role":"Artist","displaymaker":"Artist unrecorded","displayorder":1}],"depicted":[],"texts":[{"texttype":"Online","textpurpose":"Provenance","textentryhtml":"[Michael Ward, New York, NY]; John B. Elliott (1928-1997), New York, NY by 1997; bequeathed to the Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ, 1998.","remarks":null},{"texttype":"Online","textpurpose":"Gallery Label","textentryhtml":"John B. Elliott was a lifelong art collector with interests spanning the world. His bequest to the Princeton University Art Museum included 250 works from central, western, and southern Africa, including these objects from Congo that evince Elliott’s admiration for artistry and craftsmanship across media. This carved wooden lid for a ceramic food container is decorated with finely rendered symbolic motifs that represent Woyo proverbs. The round cosmetic box, with a square top and bottom carved with rich geometric designs, recalls a common Kuba basketry form. The textural variety of ornamentation on the surface of the drinking horn resembles scarification patterns, a form of body decoration among Kuba and Luluwa communities. Copper alloy cast into ingots (called Katanga crosses after the copper-mining region in Democratic Republic of the Congo), anklets, and other objects made from this valuable material were long used as currency throughout Africa.","remarks":"AFR_31_WLA.pdf - Day 1 installation - Group chat for 1998-909, 1998-642, 1998-563, 1998-683, and 1998-558 a-b"}],"media":[{"id":206848,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/Roberts to Ward 1995 - katanga cross.pdf","isprimary":0,"rank":30,"mediatypeid":4,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"Roberts to Ward, 1995 letter"},{"id":480,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/1998-909_GS","isprimary":1,"rank":10,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"Luna Digitization Project"}],"hasimage":"true","bibliography":[{"boilertext":"\"Selected checklist of objects in the collection of African art,\" <em>Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University</em> 58, no. 1/2 (1999): p. 77–83.","citation":"\"Selected checklist of objects in the collection of African art,\" <em>Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University</em> 58, no. 1/2 (1999): p. 77–83., p. 82","date":1999,"id":3043,"uri":"https://www.jstor.org/stable/3774794"},{"boilertext":"<p>\"The checklist of the John B. Elliott Bequest,\" <em>Record of the Princeton University Art Museum </em>61 (2002): p. 49-99.</p>","citation":"<p>\"The checklist of the John B. Elliott Bequest,\" <em>Record of the Princeton University Art Museum </em>61 (2002): p. 49-99.</p>, p. 71","date":2002,"id":3025,"uri":"https://www.jstor.org/stable/3774767"}],"exhibitions":[],"geography":[{"displaygeography":"Place made: Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo","code":"Place made","continent":"Africa","subcontinent":"Central Africa","country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","region":null,"state":null,"city":null,"county":null,"subregion":null,"locale":null,"locus":null,"river":null,"excavation":null,"geoname":"http://www.geonames.org/203312/democratic-republic-of-the-congo.html","location":{"lat":"","lon":""}}],"terms":[{"id":2158126,"term":"money","aatid":300037316,"termtype":"Classification"},{"id":2049420,"term":"metalwork","aatid":300015336,"termtype":"Classification"},{"id":2041478,"term":"African","aatid":300015647,"termtype":"Culture"},{"id":2042772,"term":"Luba","aatid":300016356,"termtype":"Culture"},{"id":2152740,"term":"casting (process)","aatid":300053104,"termtype":"Techniques"},{"id":2162034,"term":"copper","aatid":300011020,"termtype":"Materials"},{"id":2162043,"term":"copper alloy","aatid":300010942,"termtype":"Materials"}],"classifications":[{"id":2049420,"classification":"metalwork"},{"id":2158126,"classification":"money"}],"cultures":[{"id":15592,"culture":"Luba","alphasort":"Luba","begindate":0,"enddate":0,"displayculture":"possibly Luba","displaydate":null}],"cultureterms":[{"id":2041478,"culture":"African"},{"id":2042772,"culture":"Luba"}],"periods":[],"periodterms":[],"attribute_groups":[{"id":2199315,"term":"African Art","termtype":"Collecting Area"}],"dimensionelements":[{"element":"Overall","type":"Height","units":"centimeters","dimension":"29.50"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Width","units":"centimeters","dimension":"44.10"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Depth","units":"centimeters","dimension":"4.50"}],"packages":[{"packageid":278831,"name":"10282025-DAY1-ONVIEW"},{"packageid":223066,"name":"Gallery_31_African"},{"packageid":181965,"name":"web_2020_African"},{"packageid":142974,"name":"web_african_holding_culture"}],"primaryimage":["https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/1998-909_GS"],"displaymaker":"Artist unrecorded","displayculture":"possibly Luba","displayperiod":null,"caption":"Artist unrecorded, possibly Luba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa, H-shaped ingot (\"Katanga cross\" or possibly handa), ca. 19th century. Copper alloy; 29.5 × 44.1 × 4.5 cm. The John B. Elliott, Class of 1951, Collection (1998-909)","captionhtml":"Artist unrecorded, possibly Luba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa, <i>H-shaped ingot (\"Katanga cross\" or possibly handa)</i>, ca. 19th century. Copper alloy; 29.5 × 44.1 × 4.5 cm. The John B. Elliott, Class of 1951, Collection (1998-909)","published_date":"2026-02-11 10:51:28.019779","campusart":[{"campuscollections":"false","campusart":0,"neighborhood":null,"lat":null,"lon":null}],"extended_content":false}