Earring
1859-1899 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
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 like these, with a simple pattern of triangles like the teeth of a saw, were worn mainly in Algeria, although they were also worn in neighbouring Tunisia and Libya. They were described as having the name halak when they were acquired by the Museum in 1904, but this is a generic name for earrings. They are usually described today by their specific Berber name of timcherreft or mcharraf.
Earrings like these, with a simple pattern of triangles like the teeth of a saw, were worn mainly in Algeria, although they were also worn in neighbouring Tunisia and Libya. They were described as having the name halak when they were acquired by the Museum in 1904, but this is a generic name for earrings. They are usually described today by their specific Berber name of timcherreft or mcharraf.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Silver |
| Brief description | Pair of silver hoop earrings (timcherreft) with saw-tooth decoration along the lower edge, Oran (Algeria), 1859-1899. |
| Physical description | Pair of large silver earrings, each made from a hoop of wire with each end flattened with a hole in its centre. There is a row of triangles like the teeth of a saw, decorated with tiny cast domes, along both sides of the lower edge, giving a serrated effect. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Minerva’s head with the number 2 and the letter 'و', in a barrel-shaped frame. (On the flat section between the hoop and the serrated part.)
|
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Edmond Dresden |
| Object history | Accessions register entry: 'Pair of earrings ("Halak") of silver. / Of annular form, the upper part of stout wire, the lower flat with serrated edges and cast with a granulated surface. Stamped with modern French marks. / North African. / Diam. 3 3/8 in.' |
| Summary | 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 like these, with a simple pattern of triangles like the teeth of a saw, were worn mainly in Algeria, although they were also worn in neighbouring Tunisia and Libya. They were described as having the name halak when they were acquired by the Museum in 1904, but this is a generic name for earrings. They are usually described today by their specific Berber name of timcherreft or mcharraf. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 304&A-1904 |
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| Record created | April 4, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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