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5 Slave Trade Brass Bracelets

Currency:USD Category:Art / Region - African Start Price:30.00 USD Estimated At:40.00 - 60.00 USD
5 Slave Trade Brass Bracelets
5 Slave Trade Brass Bracelets, measure 3'' x 3'', FYI: ''The early Portuguese explorers of the 1470s observed that copper bracelets and leg-bands were the principal money all along the west African coast. They were usually worn by women to display their husband's wealth. The Portuguese crown contracted with manufacturers in Antwerp and elsewhere to produce crescent rings with flared ends of wearable size which came to be called ''manilla,'' after the Latin manus (hand) or from monilia, plural of monile (necklace). Manillas were brass bracelet-shaped objects used by Europeans in trade with West Africa, from about the 16th century to the 1930s. They were made in Europe, perhaps based on an African original.Once Bristol entered the African trade, manillas were made locally for export to West Africa.''