Pendant
1850-1899 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
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 pendant would have been one of a pair. They were worn attached to the hair either side of the face, and often had long pendants hanging down from the lower edge of the gold disc.
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 pendant would have been one of a pair. They were worn attached to the hair either side of the face, and often had long pendants hanging down from the lower edge of the gold disc.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Beads of facetted gold, coral, white glass and mother of pearl strung on a twisted red cotton cord, with a pendant of gold on a disc of leather |
| Brief description | Pendant of gold, coral, mother of pearl and glass with a gold disc, Nubia (Egypt or Sudan), 19th century. |
| Physical description | Pendant of gold, coral, white glass and mother of pearl, strung on a twisted red cotton cord. The pendant consists of two rectangular beads of mother of pearl, each with two parallel holes through the shorter sides. These two mother of pearl beads are separated by two strings of three beads, each consisting of a coral tube between two white glass beads. There is a disc of gold, with a geometric pattern of five repousse cones between bars and small domes, attached to the base of the pendant. The gold disc has a leather disc of the same size as backing. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Edmond Dresden |
| Summary | 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 pendant would have been one of a pair. They were worn attached to the hair either side of the face, and often had long pendants hanging down from the lower edge of the gold disc. |
| Bibliographic reference | Enchanted Jewellery of Egypt
Page 131
Illustration of a Bishariya woman wearing pendants of this kind and other associated jewellery in the V&A collection.
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 289-1904 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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