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i am afraid to unearth our previous discussion on these jewel...a passionate one
The fact that these are enameled is very striking and not compliant with older yemeni traditions!!!
Again we can not rule out a very high rank or elite provenance, in which case everything is possible!!
all as I can tell you as I found a pair published in a book on Yemen jewelry with the text describing them from Northeastern Yemen. I know nothing else about them. Something that could have been done in this one area only or some strange group that is living there that has taken another method of decoration from some where else and applied it. I don't have the book in front of me, but when I do I will scan and attach photo of the other pair. Which is not the same in the enameling but the bracelet is exactly the same. Which says to me that a longer time ago they enameled them as I said before this one is quite old. Could even be older then 18th c I always thought frankly it was 17th c because of the immediacy of the design rather then the ones in the book which are derivative.
The key at identification was the reverse and all the attached bells etc. When you see the pair you can make your own assumptions!
Linda Patorino, you are an amazing woman, you have the most amazing collection of different part of the world and all one more stunning than the other. These are indeed pieces to wonder where they are from.The basic bracelts do have Yemeni features like the rings, which (I think) should have a pair of bells in each of them like I do have one of them but than from Ethiopia. But than the floral decoration and the enamel finish so unusual for Yemen. For me a question mark but so beautiful.
Most of us older collectors ( I say since I started so young and am still collecting ) have seen quite a bit and the stuff was around then. I only wish I would have had more finance to buy what I really saw and wanted. Believe it or not in most cases these were the scraps left over once I purchased for inventory ! I picked always good scraps but now I find that obviously what I kept for myself was very interesting since I don't like regular things. I will post the photos from book which I will need to scan and let you all see why I thought they were same. Obviously there are some differences but the basic bracelet is the same and the only time I have found it. I myself frankly, thought the work was more indicative of Pakistan .. especially because of the terminals in the back reminded me of Mughal period pieces that were finished similarly. I find that work of the same period , sometimes across the globe is similar if done at the same time and especially if jewelers are settled in other countries as we know they were in many of these places. It could be that an Indian jeweler applied his decorative skills to this style of native bracelet.. anything is possible..or being the published example seem quite a bit later to me, that during the few hundred years of production, they dumbed down the procedure to lessen manufacturing techniques and or the style progressed and they got tired of the "old " style and wanted something more updated.. all of this is speculative of coarse as I know nothing of this style of bracelet.
i have just found the picture of the old yemen bracelet with filigree early posted which is similar to these.
I see that enamel does not open for us any valid definite answer since almost everybody declares it to be alien in the whole arabian peninsula even on older examples.....you should probably carefully inspect the glass cabs as their flower shape setting is very remarkable to my eyes and could lead us to a possible localization!
I have just had a thought about the possible connection between yemen and India, where enamel was used....
From the late delhi sultanate in the north and the "nizam" regime in the south of the subcontinent until very well into the british regency and even until pakistan partition, there used to exist good numbers of yemenis who would venture in the subcontinent for trade, marriage or used as garrison soldiers (especially around Hyderabad)...many stayed or moved to newly born Pakistan but loads of them went back to Yemen among whom some were very rich!!
I see it fitting with what i have always considered to be a right dating of your enameled pair: I.E. Around late 19th to early 20th century
Of course, we still have to understand how this enamel migration was implemented...though similar stuff happened in other parts of the world!
I don't think that the reference book filgreed coil bracelet you posted for comparison, and which as you said, dates back to the 1930 would be so similar to the enameled pair (at least regarding the shape) if the latter were much earlier!!
My understanding is that shapes would ge currupted through time, especially on such a long period: you see the goldish dot on snake heads is present on both examples, every detail is there, only the "covering" technique is different!
These are the bracelet you posted in another discussion to highlight similarities with the one below
Linda, you said this is Yemeni, in which reference book you got it ?
ok lets look at this from perspective of trying to find something similar. I have not found anything, had these for 15 years. I own about five hundreds books on jewelry from all over the world and never seen these again, so using this perspective , I'm stumped. Then one day I look in the book and found the photo you sent, which by the way i was just scanning! So if you compare the two , they are the same only one set in the book is from the 30's and has changed over time , and my pair are earlier examples. How early we can disagree on. my opinion is that these are not 19th c. I have always without knowing where they are from say they are at least 18th if not earlier, my observations of construction and the inlaid glass and the engraving as well the height of the applied flowers that are enameled are what would be on pieces that are early when one compares the literally thousands of pieces I have seen.. There is a construction method that changes over time. Anyway compare and to my eye these are the same .
The glass inset is hand blown, mica backed glass, the balls are made of bronze not silver , if you look at the applied pieces they remind me of decoration found on guns, gun powder flasks, and armor ., not just the shapes but the way they are rendered also . the dimension , the cut out and colors.
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