Author
Unknown
Publication Date
1850
Publication Place
Nubia (made) -
Subject
Africa Jewellery Metalwork
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
Height: 44mm, Width: 46mm, Depth: 3mm
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
272-1904
Record ID
272-1904
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
1850
Notes
This jewellery was said to have come from West Africa when it was bequeathed to the Museum in 1904. This was probably a misunderstanding, as this piece, and the others associated with it, are part of the traditional jewellery of women from Nubia, particularly the Bishariya. The Bishariya are a nomadic tribe living in the eastern desert south of the Red Sea, in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Unlike almost all other Muslim tribal women, the Bishariya preferred their traditional jewellery to be made of gold, although the designs are the same as those of silver jewellery from the same region. Nubia has been renowned for its gold mines since Pharaonic times. The women expected their jewellery to be made from pure gold as far as possible, although it is often beaten very thin. This piece was described as an earring when it was acquired, but it could equally well have been worn as a nose ring.
Malzemeler ve teknikler
Hammered gold with incised decoration Gold
Fiziksel açıklama
Gold hoop earring or nose ring, with a thick stiff wire over the top, widening into a flat crescent-shaped plate at the bottom. The crescent is decorated on both sides with a chased pattern of triangles and dots in rows, which is richer and more detailed on the front than on the back.
