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Again a bracelet with no opposing hinge....very interesting to me.
I have such a bracelet without enamel, but with a finer granulation. several experts dicussed my piece and the conclusion was Algerian or yemeni, this piece adds a different angle to the discussion
congratulations Hillary...nice find
S X
https://ethnicjewels.ning.com/photo/algerian-cuff-1?context=user
from the pics, I see various differences in workmanship, but clearly there is a connection between the two pieces in a stylistic sense.
The enamel on these looks remarkably intact for the age..
do you have a pic of the inners please?
the glass insets are closely related to Prossers. as both come from the briare or possible batterposses glass factory In France.
An image of these beads can be seen on the cover of the book in the side bar ( Beads from Briare) , A very worthwhile and well written guide to the French glass/ porcelaain bead factories and the dates, colours and styles of bead manufacture there.
Hi Sarah, Both of these photos are of the same bracelet. I have yet to receive the other one. They do have a hinge the opens, but only 1/3 of the bracelet opens, unlike the usual 1/2 split in most Moroccan bracelets. As soon as I receive the other one, I'll post photos of both. I'm really guessing on age. The hinges are very worn and have the wear that comes from many, many years of use. I don't imagine that these would have been worn everyday, they're about 200+ grams a piece.
I managed to get a coran holder with the same incredible enamel..outof this world..without any other reference that the same besancenot book telling usthat this jewel was a common adornment amon ait ouaouzguit women......
Last time in Morocc a very knowledgeable antique dealer swore his gods that the two pieces rather originate from Figuig Oases...which kind put me in doubt since the coran holder which was very old had "heart" designs which is prettyalien in old african jewelry except fro soninke playing cards rings in senegal and mali (at least in north african jewelry).
Thatwas the first odd thing for an ait ouaouzguit jewel to which one should add the hinge wich doss not halve the bracelet but rather opens it at one third!!!!
A feature unheard of inmoroccan bracelets!!!
The last enigm should be the presence of this very thick-glass-like enamel in Figuig region......a great mystery!!!!
Anyway these are very wonderful old ad scarce item.
Congrats Hillary.
A last reference about these bracelets is a much later book about moroccan jewelry with a small picture pf these bracelets labelled as coming from figuig as well!!
figuig is a very interesting concept, i see the correllation with the algerian styles, so some logic lies there to be explored.
more pics when the second one reaches you would be great !
Sx
So where is the enamelling done in the north. .....?
These beautiful bracelets in the link from the north west have stunning enamel, as do the examples Hillary shows...
The tclemen pieces use early glass in a colour range which we see in early Tiznit pieces , and the high end Ouarzguit pieces,
Hillary's bracelets show a glass colour palette which I associate more with the pieces made in Tarroudant, the enamelling also has the thicker quality to the glass again an attribute which I associate with the jewellery makers of Tarroudant in a Moroccan context.
Moving to the east we also have the possibility of enamelling in The Kabyle regions of Algeria. This locality is close to Figuig, so maybe a rural interpretation of the work and colours of Kabyle pieces although missing the ultramarine element......
I am loving the quest !
My favourite pastime .......
Sx
I'll post more photos soon It's important to note some differences in the way the hinge was fabricated- where the fixed pin is, it has five segments, 2 on one side, three on the other. Where the bracelet opens with the pin, there are only three- one on one side, two on the other. The bracelet opening is actually more than 1/3, but definitely less than 1/2. I found this to be completely inconsistent with Moroccan jewelry. Also, the hinge is made from coiled wire, as seen in Kabyle work and pieces from The Levant. I must admit, the enamel is fairly crudely done.
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