Pair of Fibulae
1856-1900 (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.
The use of ring brooches to fasten women’s traditional clothing is universal across the region and dates back to late Roman times. Most of these brooches are penannular in shape, with large decorative heads, but these are of a very basic design which could have been made at any time in the last 2,000 years. They were worn in pairs, just below the shoulders, to hold the dress together, and were worn upside down, with the pin pointing upwards. They were often linked together by a chain.
This design was most common in rural areas in the west of Tunisia, but they are also found across the border in Algeria. The marks on these show that they were made in Tunisia.
The use of ring brooches to fasten women’s traditional clothing is universal across the region and dates back to late Roman times. Most of these brooches are penannular in shape, with large decorative heads, but these are of a very basic design which could have been made at any time in the last 2,000 years. They were worn in pairs, just below the shoulders, to hold the dress together, and were worn upside down, with the pin pointing upwards. They were often linked together by a chain.
This design was most common in rural areas in the west of Tunisia, but they are also found across the border in Algeria. The marks on these show that they were made in Tunisia.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Cast silver |
| Brief description | Pair of silver fibulae with plain penannular rings and long pins, Tunisia, 1856-1900. |
| Physical description | Pair of penannular ring brooches with long pins. Each consists of a hoop of thick silver wire with each end thickened into a solid rectangle. The hoop is decorated all over with short sections of diagonal lines. The pin is a length of thick wire pointed at one end and flattened at the other to form a loop before being wrapped round the end of the pin to secure it. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Edmond Dresden |
| Object history | Accessions register entry: 'Pair of Brooches of silver, lightly chased. Each is stamped with Arabic marks. / Each consists of a penannular wire with squared ends (monsters' heads), on which is hung the pin roughly beaten out with a flattened loop at its base. / North African. / Each, diam. 2 3/4 in., pin, L. 5 1/2 in. (in 331a, 5 1/8 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. The use of ring brooches to fasten women’s traditional clothing is universal across the region and dates back to late Roman times. Most of these brooches are penannular in shape, with large decorative heads, but these are of a very basic design which could have been made at any time in the last 2,000 years. They were worn in pairs, just below the shoulders, to hold the dress together, and were worn upside down, with the pin pointing upwards. They were often linked together by a chain. This design was most common in rural areas in the west of Tunisia, but they are also found across the border in Algeria. The marks on these show that they were made in Tunisia. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 331&A-1904 |
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| Record created | April 4, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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