Necklace
Necklace
1850-1884 (made)
1850-1884 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Choker necklaces, made from numerous identical elements sewn to cloth or strung together on cord, were worn as part of the traditional costume in many places of Islamic heritage, from Algeria to the south Caucasus. They were worn across the forehead, as well as round the neck.
This piece was acquired by the Museum in 1884, when it was described as an ‘Ornament for Bit, Saracenic, from Cairo’. It may have been acquired in Cairo, but its true origin is the Yemen. The ornamental silver is typical of the kind of fine filigree work made in the Yemen by Jewish silversmiths in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its use is less clear. It has been variously described as a headdress worn by Yemeni Jews (Lenore Böcking-Döring, 1993), and a necklace (Anne Leurquin, 2003).
It was probably worn across the forehead; the stiff construction would make it awkward to wear round the neck. It is not mentioned as part of the traditional costume described by Ester Muchawsky-Schnapper in ‘The Jews of Yemen’, 1994. It may have been worn with an older type of costume, or it could even have formed part of the ornamental trappings of a horse. The padded wool frame is much more reminiscent of horse harness than of the flat bands usually used for women’s jewellery, and there is plentiful evidence that Arab horsemen decorated their beasts as richly as their women.
This piece was acquired by the Museum in 1884, when it was described as an ‘Ornament for Bit, Saracenic, from Cairo’. It may have been acquired in Cairo, but its true origin is the Yemen. The ornamental silver is typical of the kind of fine filigree work made in the Yemen by Jewish silversmiths in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its use is less clear. It has been variously described as a headdress worn by Yemeni Jews (Lenore Böcking-Döring, 1993), and a necklace (Anne Leurquin, 2003).
It was probably worn across the forehead; the stiff construction would make it awkward to wear round the neck. It is not mentioned as part of the traditional costume described by Ester Muchawsky-Schnapper in ‘The Jews of Yemen’, 1994. It may have been worn with an older type of costume, or it could even have formed part of the ornamental trappings of a horse. The padded wool frame is much more reminiscent of horse harness than of the flat bands usually used for women’s jewellery, and there is plentiful evidence that Arab horsemen decorated their beasts as richly as their women.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Necklace (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Red wool stuffed with cream material and decorated with silver filigree |
| Brief description | Crescent of stuffed red cloth with silver conical beads attached, Yemen, 1850-1884. |
| Physical description | A padded tube of loosely woven red wool cloth, stuffed with cream coloured material to make it stiff, folded back on itself to form a horseshoe shape of two rows. There are two cords of plaited black and cream thread attached to each end of the horseshoe, one of which, at each end, ends in a tassel of coloured threads. The horseshoe is decorated with 40 complex silver elements. Each element consists of a ring, which is threaded on the lower row of the horseshoe, with a hollow conical part below it. The conical part has a loop at the bottom holding a ring with two pendant bells. There is an open filigree disc on the front of each of the rings which are threaded on the lower row of the horseshoe, which extends downwards in a fan shape over the top of the conical part, and upwards as a granulated disc with a granule above it. This upward extension is sewn to the upper part of the horseshoe. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | Bought from the collection of Gaston de Saint-Maurice (1831-1905) in 1884. Saint-Maurice displayed his extensive art collection at the 1878 Paris exhibition, in a gallery entitled L'Egypte des Khalifes. This was part of an official sequence of displays celebrating the history of Egypt, presented by the Egyptian state at this international event. Saint-Maurice held a position at the Khedival court, and had lived in Cairo in 1868-1878. Following the exhibition, Saint-Maurice offered his collection for sale to the South Kensington Museum (today the V&A). |
| Associations | |
| Summary | Choker necklaces, made from numerous identical elements sewn to cloth or strung together on cord, were worn as part of the traditional costume in many places of Islamic heritage, from Algeria to the south Caucasus. They were worn across the forehead, as well as round the neck. This piece was acquired by the Museum in 1884, when it was described as an ‘Ornament for Bit, Saracenic, from Cairo’. It may have been acquired in Cairo, but its true origin is the Yemen. The ornamental silver is typical of the kind of fine filigree work made in the Yemen by Jewish silversmiths in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its use is less clear. It has been variously described as a headdress worn by Yemeni Jews (Lenore Böcking-Döring, 1993), and a necklace (Anne Leurquin, 2003). It was probably worn across the forehead; the stiff construction would make it awkward to wear round the neck. It is not mentioned as part of the traditional costume described by Ester Muchawsky-Schnapper in ‘The Jews of Yemen’, 1994. It may have been worn with an older type of costume, or it could even have formed part of the ornamental trappings of a horse. The padded wool frame is much more reminiscent of horse harness than of the flat bands usually used for women’s jewellery, and there is plentiful evidence that Arab horsemen decorated their beasts as richly as their women. |
| Bibliographic reference | For similar examples, see:
Schmuck aus dem Jemen: der Katalog erscheint anläßlich der Ausstellung "Kleider und Schmuck aus dem Jemen", Sammlung Lenore Böcking-Döring im Siegwerk-Museum im Torhaus, 24. November 1992-28. February 1993, p.9
Leurquin, Anne. 'A World of Necklaces. Africa, Asia, Oceania, America from the Ghysels Collection', Milan, Skira, 2003. ISBN:8884915503, p.171 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 956-1884 |
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| Record created | April 10, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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