Author
Unknown
Publication Date
1750
Publication Place
Turkey (made) -
Subject
Jewellery Metalwork
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
173-1896
Record ID
173-1896
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
1750
Notes
Throughout the lands of the former Ottoman Empire, from the north Balkans to the Caucasus, large and elaborate waist clasps were the most important item in a womanâs dowry. These clasps come in a small number of basic designs including the distinctive shape shown here which is sometimes described as a stylised tulip. They were attached by the bars on the back to a cloth belt which the owner made herself and fastened by a vertical pin. The pin fastener was usually attached to the clasp by chains which hung down decoratively over the front of the clasp, but they are missing in this example. The workmanship is typical of Armenian jewellery from Anatolia of the late 18th and 19th centuries.
Malzemeler ve teknikler
Silver filigree Silver Filigree
Fiziksel açıklama
Large silver filigree three-part clasp, with the open filigree riveted to a sheet silver ground. The centre part of the clasp is shaped like a stylised tulip with a pointed base. The two side parts are the same shape, but smaller, attached to the centre at right angles with the bases indented to fit round the central part. There is an open filigree dome attached to the centre of each part. The filigree is richly decorated with stylised pomegranates, granule rosettes, granules, ingot shapes and strips of beading. A strip of silver forms a side to all parts, and there are wide bars on the back of each part for attachment. There is a pin fastening between the centre and the right-hand part, as worn.
