A digital archive showcasing the extensive collection of jewellery and adornment images shared on the former Ethnic Jewels Ning site over the years. These images have significantly enriched discussions on cultural adornment and its global dispersion.
You need to be a member of Adorned Histories to add comments!
Request your copy of our newsletter.
If you would like to receive our newsletter
Comments
What glorious design and craftsmanship!
Terrific!
Hi, I'm surprised they were men's. I always thought this shape was more for a woman. I hadn't thought about men wearing cuffs at all and alwasy seeing them wearing fantastic belts mostly. How do you know they are for men? Also do you have some data that these are from Samarkand for sure? I have sold many of this style of cuff, necklace and headdress and can not find anything published with these peices. Even showed them to many curators of Russian museums and they were not able to identify them as coming from any one area of Uzbekistan. If you have something concrete please share it!
Beauties. I am also surprised to read it is for men..... But why not. They are great.
They would be "oversized" if they would have been made for a lady...and if the russian museums and their curators are not in situation to come with concrete elements, unfortunately I cannot do beter and I never find anything published about these ...a pity! I only have my experience the trust in the people (origin) from whom I get them and a solid goodsense about the fact that this kind of sofisticated cuffs (like the "russian" types) were made and ordered by and specialy for hight rank people and probably for special occasion ( wedding festivities, birth etc)...best regards to both of you...and please, don't hesitate to send me any more "official" information concerning these if you got any.
Several of the ones i had were also larger but I just thought that they would fit (they do) larger size woman. I would imagine woman as they got older also gained weight there as they do here! In any event without the proper info it's not easy to know for sure. For years I was told by suppliers in Pakistan that these were Kazliak and were sold this way. I see a place in Turkestan where that is but then I'm not familiar with that area or style of work there.
My opinion is that the closest I have seen to them in fact is in an early book on Kazakh jewerly Tom 2 or 3 I have them both. Inside there is Kazakh items that are just like this with all the inlaid work and bumpy very baroque like these and not at all typical of regular Kazak work These might be on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan or might be more on the border of Uzbek and Daghestan. I did pay for one piece in Tablisi once that was a crown set with handcuffs, rings, necklaces and a crown. So I'm not sure where this is from at all. Yes I think the high end society is correct and they were commissioned and perhaps were the taste of several groups at the time the way a Prada handbag something that a certain taste or class likes all over the world. or a fancy style of anything that is popular. We keep thinking only that they wear things from their own envirnment but I don't think in the late 19th c it's true for rich society or even higher up than that. They like to be always on the edge and different and oppoulent. They might in fact import jewelers from many backrounds and all working to design specif items of combination trades for them. No one would have it so it is considered ok at that level to not be identified with any group. When you see photos of Men from Uzbekistan and woman also, the jewelry is very decisive usually. Khiva style, Samarkand style, Tashkent style, etc. Even on wealth or Jewish , (who were always well off ) they had pieces which for the most part represented each area. In this case maybe these were worn by royalty who made up their own designs and did what they wanted. I think this is more the case.
I would never completely believe the trade over there as they tell you anything that is easy. The reason I'm saying this is unless that person comes with information that it is coming from an particular Emir etc which in one case one large piece I handled had that provinance, then it's not clear. The problem is that the curators of many of the museums i have met with and they have never seen this stuff or have it in the collections which I think is odd but then the highest class of people would not have sold it or had it collected ever until they needed the money. So most sales would be inside jobs and not ever make it to the musuems. It is something I would like to eventually solve.
Thank you very much for all these interesting remarks which add something to the perpetual "questionning" about the origins of the jewels in general mostly when you have in mind that by definition the jewels are moving from places to other places and are owned by different generations who don't have the same interest and care for them...how many times I saw children coming to sale without any problem nice old jewels that their parents leave inheritance even if their died relatives loved and cherish them during 30, 40 years or more ...and I do think that this behaviour coud exist anywhere today...for the other lines I think that we have to trust on a way or another to people you work with for many years and I would maintain my point of view ...the most important is the quality of these cuffs, their oldiness ( late 19th century ) and their rarity...
The bottom line is the cuffs are great and of excellent quality. But since I for one have sold so much of this style of jewerly and I am also a collector I would like to solve the mystery since the historical as well as the items themselves complete the picture. I like the clients also knowing the real story. And since my own interests as a cultural anthropologist is of my own nature I try and understand these ornaments from many different angles.
And yes it's sad and true that without the history or effective value being understood by following generations, much is lost.
I quite agree with all these lines...just add that our education is different : I m not a anthropologist but (to make it short) a Lawyer who started his professional trajectory in Iran working in iran for ILO (International Labour Organisation, a specialized agency of the United Nations) in 1978,1979 and this first experience was the start of my love for the oriental art and the jewels of this area known for their refine pieces of art and exquisite jewels...in 1979, when the Shah 's fall, we all have to leave ( I then went to Lebanon and Zaire) this wonderful country (Persepolis is one of the most magnificent place I ever saw) and I decided to honour the ethnic jewels ( at that time, the antic dealers had no much interest so far for ethnic jewels, there where no many books or publications and of course no internet...) taking the risk to open my shop dedicated to the ethnic jewels in a shop in the center of Brussels and I never regret that decision...and I m now doing this with passion for 31years in spite of the charges and various costs of a window in one of the most marvelous antic gallery of Europe ( built by the architect Cluysenaar in 1847)...I m always trying to work as a merchant with the highest levels as you could see if you visit my shop and my site and that is the most important thing to me : to propose to my customers the best quality and aesthetic jewels and pieces ;in the same time after few years I became an expert to the court and a member of the ABEX (Association belge des experts)...So I also agree with you to propose to my customers the most exquisite artefacts and jewels and in the same time the most valuable exponations and descriptions following my experience, my knowledge,my sources or even other collector's appreciations and appraisals...
Dear Linda,
I just forgot to tell that I still travel about four times a year in different countries in the world... and that for 5 to 7 years the way of practicing this point of the job (to get in touch with the locals): everything changed because of the globalisation ( mostly the destinations and the visited countries)...but this is another story
Best regards Michel
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next