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Forehead ornament

Title	Forehead ornament
Author	Unknown
Publication Date:	1870
Publication Place	Egypt (made) -
Subject	Jewellery Africa Metalwork Hats & Headwear
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	Length: 6cm, Diameter: 1.6cm
Library:	Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID	355-1904
Record ID	355-1904
Library Location	Middle East Section
Date	1870
Notes	This gilded silver tube was part of the traditional jewellery of urban women in Egypt in the 19th century. It was used with a face veil or burqu . The Egyptian veil worn by lower class Moslem women at that time consisted of a long rectangle of black cloth, made of an openwork panel of crocheted cotton or pierced crepe, about 15-20 cm wide. It had strings attached at either side of the top edge which were tied at the back of the head. A third string, which ran over the top of the head, was attached to the centre of the top edge to prevent the veil from slipping down. This tube was strung on the centre thread where it joined the veil, over the bridge of the nose. This tube is a late example made from sheet metal stamped to imitate wrapped wire, which was the traditional way they were made. After independence in 1922, Egyptian women stopped wearing the face veil, and with that these tubes also became obsolete.
Tarihsel bağlam	p177 - The 'Arusa of the Burqu' - This piece of jewelry, made of gold, silver dipped in gold, or yellow brass, is a sort of short tube with thin wires wound around its entire length forming beautiful designs, with three discs encircling thr lower, middle and top parts. Its purpose is to hold up the strings that are tied at the back of the head to keep in place the burqu', or veil; the latter is made of crinkly black silk or a lacy type of cloth, manufactured in al-Mahalla al-Kubra, the textile center of Egypt. The metal from which it is fashioned depends on the wealth of the user. It could be made of silver, gold, gold-plated metal or even brass ... It is called a 'arusa ('doll') because of the shimmer of the gold or brass against the black of the veil. p180 - The use of the burqu' was widespread among women of the Sha'bi classes until the early twentieth century. The women of the middle and upper classes had the veil (the Turkish-style yashmak), but when the women's liberation movement, headed by Huda Shaarawi, encouraged women to do away with the veil, women of the Sha'bi classes also gave up their burqu' and the 'doll' gradually disappeared. Enchanted Jewelry of Egypt: The Traditional Art and Craft , Azza Fahmy, 2007
Malzemeler ve teknikler	Stamped silver-gilt Silver-Gilt
Fiziksel açıklama	Cylinder of gilded sheet silver, open at each end, stamped on the outside in a pattern resembling wrapped wire. The pattern is broken twice with a strip of plain sheet metal at the centre. Three rings of sheet metal with serrated edges are attached at regular intervals along the length of the cylinder.

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Victoria and Albert Museum

Forehead ornament

Author Unknown

Publication Date 1870

Publication Place Egypt (made) -

Subject Jewellery Africa Metalwork Hats & Headwear

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions Length: 6cm, Diameter: 1.6cm

Library Victoria and Albert Museum

Library Asset ID 355-1904

Record ID 355-1904

Library Location Middle East Section

Date 1870

Notes This gilded silver tube was part of the traditional jewellery of urban women in Egypt in the 19th century. It was used with a face veil or burqu . The Egyptian veil worn by lower class Moslem women at that time consisted of a long rectangle of black cloth, made of an openwork panel of crocheted cotton or pierced crepe, about 15-20 cm wide. It had strings attached at either side of the top edge which were tied at the back of the head. A third string, which ran over the top of the head, was attached to the centre of the top edge to prevent the veil from slipping down. This tube was strung on the centre thread where it joined the veil, over the bridge of the nose. This tube is a late example made from sheet metal stamped to imitate wrapped wire, which was the traditional way they were made. After independence in 1922, Egyptian women stopped wearing the face veil, and with that these tubes also became obsolete.

Tarihsel bağlam p177 - The 'Arusa of the Burqu' - This piece of jewelry, made of gold, silver dipped in gold, or yellow brass, is a sort of short tube with thin wires wound around its entire length forming beautiful designs, with three discs encircling thr lower, middle and top parts. Its purpose is to hold up the strings that are tied at the back of the head to keep in place the burqu', or veil; the latter is made of crinkly black silk or a lacy type of cloth, manufactured in al-Mahalla al-Kubra, the textile center of Egypt. The metal from which it is fashioned depends on the wealth of the user. It could be made of silver, gold, gold-plated metal or even brass ... It is called a 'arusa ('doll') because of the shimmer of the gold or brass against the black of the veil. p180 - The use of the burqu' was widespread among women of the Sha'bi classes until the early twentieth century. The women of the middle and upper classes had the veil (the Turkish-style yashmak), but when the women's liberation movement, headed by Huda Shaarawi, encouraged women to do away with the veil, women of the Sha'bi classes also gave up their burqu' and the 'doll' gradually disappeared. Enchanted Jewelry of Egypt: The Traditional Art and Craft , Azza Fahmy, 2007

Malzemeler ve teknikler Stamped silver-gilt Silver-Gilt

Fiziksel açıklama Cylinder of gilded sheet silver, open at each end, stamped on the outside in a pattern resembling wrapped wire. The pattern is broken twice with a strip of plain sheet metal at the centre. Three rings of sheet metal with serrated edges are attached at regular intervals along the length of the cylinder.