Back to Search

Earring

Title	Earring
Author	Unknown (made)
Publication Date:	1800
Publication Place	Egypt (made) -
Subject	Jewellery Metalwork Africa
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	Diameter: 6.2cm
Library:	Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID	949&A-1884
Record ID	949&A-1884
Library Location	Middle East Section
Date	1800
Notes	The traditional jewellery of the Berber tribes of North Africa is almost always made of silver in heavy, clearly-defined shapes. Although individual pieces rarely date back any earlier than the 19th century, the designs are very old, and European observers liked to find traces of Roman or Phoenician influence. Earrings in the 19th century were particularly large, and are sometimes mistaken for bangles today. The decorative bead in the centre would have made it very uncomfortable to wear these on the wrist, and the hook fastening is the kind which was always used for earrings, not bangles. These were obtained in Cairo, and described as âSaracenicâ when they were acquired by the Museum in 1884. Egypt was the main production centre for jewellery for use by the nomadic tribes of the region, who obtained all their jewellery from specialist urban silversmiths.
İlişki	Paris International Exhibition, 1878 Gaston De Saint-Maurice
Malzemeler ve teknikler	Silver Silver
Parçalar	Bracelet, Bracelet
Fiziksel açıklama	Pair of earrings, each consisting of a hoop of thick silver wire with one end twisted to form a hook and the other a loop. The lower portion of the hoop, just behind the loop, is decorated with a large hollow oval bead threaded on the hoop, with a short length of the hoop on either side of it wrapped in finer wire to hold it in place. The bead is lightly facetted all over and is decorated with a double band of gallery wire round its centre, and a small triangle, made of short lengths of coiled wire, attached at the bottom. There is a similar triangle attached to the lower edge of each of the bands of wire wrapped round the hoop.

View in source Victoria and Albert Museum Victoria and Albert Museum - Ottoman library catalog search

Victoria and Albert Museum

Earring

Author Unknown (made)

Publication Date 1800

Publication Place Egypt (made) -

Subject Jewellery Metalwork Africa

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions Diameter: 6.2cm

Library Victoria and Albert Museum

Library Asset ID 949&A-1884

Record ID 949&A-1884

Library Location Middle East Section

Date 1800

Notes The traditional jewellery of the Berber tribes of North Africa is almost always made of silver in heavy, clearly-defined shapes. Although individual pieces rarely date back any earlier than the 19th century, the designs are very old, and European observers liked to find traces of Roman or Phoenician influence. Earrings in the 19th century were particularly large, and are sometimes mistaken for bangles today. The decorative bead in the centre would have made it very uncomfortable to wear these on the wrist, and the hook fastening is the kind which was always used for earrings, not bangles. These were obtained in Cairo, and described as âSaracenicâ when they were acquired by the Museum in 1884. Egypt was the main production centre for jewellery for use by the nomadic tribes of the region, who obtained all their jewellery from specialist urban silversmiths.

İlişki Paris International Exhibition, 1878 Gaston De Saint-Maurice

Malzemeler ve teknikler Silver Silver

Parçalar Bracelet, Bracelet

Fiziksel açıklama Pair of earrings, each consisting of a hoop of thick silver wire with one end twisted to form a hook and the other a loop. The lower portion of the hoop, just behind the loop, is decorated with a large hollow oval bead threaded on the hoop, with a short length of the hoop on either side of it wrapped in finer wire to hold it in place. The bead is lightly facetted all over and is decorated with a double band of gallery wire round its centre, and a small triangle, made of short lengths of coiled wire, attached at the bottom. There is a similar triangle attached to the lower edge of each of the bands of wire wrapped round the hoop.