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Comments
Dear Ingrid. This is absolutely STUNNING! Congratulations. Peter
I agree with Peter, Ingrid: a fabulous piece in many respects...the open work, the moon shaped decorations, the unusual bails of the scroll holders and of course, the huge size. All very unique!
Do know who would have worn such a piece?
Thank you Peter and Betty for your appreciation. Gr. Ingrid.
Very interesting and beautiful indeed. Very well crafted with apparently good silver as well.
Very nice of you to post this interesting piece. Thank you for that Ingrid.
Betty, I am not quite sure who would have worn this item, but I would place it more in the Jimma area,as they do go for more undecorated items and work a lot with the cresent signs, think also of the mystic rings. And another reason that it is very high content of silver more towards the sterling silver. Mind you I have never seen anybody wear any of these items or large scroll boxes, they were mostly worn around the 1930 and not much in the 1960. About the scroll boxes, not in this size but Ethiopia has many small scroll boxes which do open in the middle, I do have quite a number in my collection. Only oncce with an actual tiny scroll in it, delicious. I will place a photo of it soon.
Gr. Ingrid.
Yes Mustafa, I love the simplicity and good balance of these pieces and yes it is good silver almost as high as sterling silver, which is mostly common in the Jimma area, like the antique Jimma beads and bracelets. Gr. Ingrid.
Mustafa, such high silver content is of course also the case with the beautiful fillegrain work such as beads, pendants and on telsums, than the silver is very purefied in order for the silver wire to be very supple to lay the curves etc. without breaking. In Ethiopia the jewelers call if Falash silver, Now come to think of it I wonder if it revers to the jewish silver (Falasha, the black jews of Ethiopia, now many in Israel) On the Facebook African Ethnic Etsy group, a young woman of Israel does work with modern Ethipian crosses and refered to the plate silver as" Jewish silver" and I was puzzeled. But now I think it maybe a translation from the Amharic or Tigrigna language. Funny how it all comes together. Gr. Ingrid.
Beautiful, Ingrid. And the size, ... wow, massive!
Thank you Berberia. for sure massive and impressive, a very uncommon piece for Ethiopia. Gr. Ingrid.