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Two ivory belts decorated with jewels
(حزامان من العاج مزينان بالمجوهرات)

Title	Two ivory belts decorated with jewels
Title Original	حزامان من العاج مزينان بالمجوهرات
Publication Date:	First half of the 10th / 16th century
Publication Place	- Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
Subject	Turquoise, gold, emerald, gum, ivory, engraving, ruby.
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	الطول: 65.5 سم؛ العرض: 4.5 سم
Library:	Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID	483, 482
Record ID	object;ISL;tr;Mus01;31;ar
Library Location	Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
Date	First half of the 10th / 16th century
Notes	Two ivory belts, one consisting of five plates with oval medallions, the other of four plates with circular medallions connected to each other by groups of interconnected small pieces, all decorated in several layers. The surfaces are engraved with designs of elegant flowers and vines with lines impregnated with black mastic. The second layer of decoration includes golden roses with rubies and turquoise in their centre, linked to plants with golden leaves. The background is obscured under extensive decoration, while the base materials are illuminated by exquisitely set gemstones. The gold-plated flowers and the multi-layered decoration technique reflect the elegance of jewelry making during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 926-974 / 1520-1566). Organizations of artists and craftsmen (so-called people of crafts) were established during the reign of Sultan Bayezid II (r. 886-918 / 1481-1512), and these organizations served as schools for all fields of Ottoman art. The number of artists working in the palace can be known from the salary records that were kept systematically starting from the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Belts are a common adornment accessory for men and women. They were used around the waist to beautify and decorate clothing. Moreover, it also has ritual significance. Also, enhancing a person's status was done through the celebration of encircling him with a belt. This custom, known to the craft guilds, was also important to the sultans, and was emphasized by placing the belt on monuments to deceased sultans and courtiers. In the Ottoman era, belts were produced from expensive fabrics and embroidered with gold and silver threads. As for the engraved and decorated belts, made of metal sheets stacked together, they reflect high levels of craftsmanship. While women's belts were richly decorated, those worn by men were fairly devoid of decoration.
Sample Text	Alev Özay “Two ivory belts decorated with jewels” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tr;Mus01;31;ar

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Museum With No Frontiers

Two ivory belts decorated with jewels

(حزامان من العاج مزينان بالمجوهرات)

Publication Date First half of the 10th / 16th century

Publication Place - Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

Subject Turquoise, gold, emerald, gum, ivory, engraving, ruby.

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions الطول: 65.5 سم؛ العرض: 4.5 سم

Library Museum With No Frontiers

Library Asset ID 483, 482

Record ID object;ISL;tr;Mus01;31;ar

Library Location Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

Date First half of the 10th / 16th century

Notes Two ivory belts, one consisting of five plates with oval medallions, the other of four plates with circular medallions connected to each other by groups of interconnected small pieces, all decorated in several layers. The surfaces are engraved with designs of elegant flowers and vines with lines impregnated with black mastic. The second layer of decoration includes golden roses with rubies and turquoise in their centre, linked to plants with golden leaves. The background is obscured under extensive decoration, while the base materials are illuminated by exquisitely set gemstones. The gold-plated flowers and the multi-layered decoration technique reflect the elegance of jewelry making during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 926-974 / 1520-1566). Organizations of artists and craftsmen (so-called people of crafts) were established during the reign of Sultan Bayezid II (r. 886-918 / 1481-1512), and these organizations served as schools for all fields of Ottoman art. The number of artists working in the palace can be known from the salary records that were kept systematically starting from the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Belts are a common adornment accessory for men and women. They were used around the waist to beautify and decorate clothing. Moreover, it also has ritual significance. Also, enhancing a person's status was done through the celebration of encircling him with a belt. This custom, known to the craft guilds, was also important to the sultans, and was emphasized by placing the belt on monuments to deceased sultans and courtiers. In the Ottoman era, belts were produced from expensive fabrics and embroidered with gold and silver threads. As for the engraved and decorated belts, made of metal sheets stacked together, they reflect high levels of craftsmanship. While women's belts were richly decorated, those worn by men were fairly devoid of decoration.

Sample Text Alev Özay “Two ivory belts decorated with jewels” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tr;Mus01;31;ar