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Turkoman Gilded Silver and Agate Bridal Adornment – Central Asia, 19th Century

$3,100

A sumptuous gilded silver bridal adornment with 14 inlaid pieces of fiery-colored agate. Nine dangling silver chains and pendants hang from the bottom, with four inlaid pieces of again on the long, flat pendants. The main part of the adornment is incised with floral motifs and also features rope-like decorations around its middle. Three loops on the back and a hollow central tube allowed this heavy ornament to be sewn onto clothing.

SKU: IS-052 Categories:,

Product Description

Western Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia), Turkoman (Turkmen) people, ca. 19th century CE.

A sumptuous gilded silver bridal adornment with 14 inlaid pieces of fiery-colored agate. Nine dangling silver chains and pendants hang from the bottom, with four inlaid pieces of again on the long, flat pendants. The main part of the adornment is incised with floral motifs and also features rope-like decorations around its middle. Three loops on the back and a hollow central tube allowed this heavy ornament to be sewn onto clothing. It likely once decorated a woven textile cap to form a crown, with the dangling parts made to hang over the eyes. Size: 5.75″ W x 8.9″ H (14.6 cm x 22.6 cm); 163.2 grams

Fabulous jewelry like this was a hallmark of elite men and women in the Turkoman society. Powerful people wore the items they commissioned or gave them as diplomatic gifts to rulers and elites in other countries as a way of showcasing the wealth of their own region. Jewelers worked on commissions from the richest members of society, obtaining precious metal from various mountains in the area, including Ferghana and the Zartalash east of Tashkent. Jewelers worked with a variety of different precious and semi-precious stones, also sourced from far afield. Artisans in cities like Bukhara, Samarkand, and Tashkent kept alive metalworking traditions once common in the medieval period long after Europeans lost them.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Beverly Hills, USA collection