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Sold to me as Kabyle...
This is lovely Cordelia! The way the scrolling floral designs "move" is stunning
it is lovely, and I bought it for its beauty. But Im scratching my head about it and how to sell it. The front is silver. The back is base metal and has really different patterns stylistically, more tribal markings. I was told it was Kabyle. I dont know enough to really know.
nice piece
coran box, probably tunisia or chawi ( aures )
people know kabyl as algerian berber in the midle of country. kabyle means " tribes" but the rest of the called berber from canarian islands until egypt are almost the same
OKi, i gave you a confirmation on the chaoui origin in facebook, but i was so intrigued by the cabs which is very very very odd from this region
now that i saw the back, a more eastern origin is likelier!
The repousse work visible on the front back is tought to have been imported into north africa by the ottomans and is thus very present on ottoman era jewels and artefacts from the region, lets says from algeria to egypt!
The stone here is not part of the aesthetic added value IMO and should be regarde as part of the talisman itself, please assess carefully the cab and tell us if it is some sort of semi precious stone or glass?
The back is definetely Libyan work!!! very usual to find these patterns on libyan jewelry even the latest ones!!
But i feel the box is quite early though!!
Any chance it does still contain some written material ?
well said aala.the repousse is typical ottoman import and the management of the surface too ( the splitingof the surface to use the pattern geometrical)
i guess was coral at the begining, the back is still more tunisian to me.
can you see if the back and front were exchanged. i have a feeling that they arenot originaly a part
Many thanks for your comments. Yes, the back is a mystery to me. This piece certainly must have a story. The cabouchon is quite scratched and worn on its surface and quite dense. I presume its glass. It looks like it has been replaced as the grips seem as if the have been opened and closed. The top is another story too
PS what exactly do you mean by Ottoman? Is it a general term? Or do you refer to a specific period?
my opinion. it is a mix of pieces added together to make this one.
the back doesn t fit with the front and the top is a part of plate. the front is made to look ottoman but could be a piece from a complet another item, bigger coran box,amulett,plate... the symetrie is missing to say it is a front tor this box. the edges are not the way they should, the central piece is not also that optimal one, the space between is not present at all. the principal 3 rules that should be here are completly nt respected.
i can say, it is only my opinion. it is a interesting piece made of different other part , the persone who made it did his best
here a symetric silver box with repoussee and other techniques. the 3 rules are respected, the egdes,centre piece and the paces. dimmensions too. there is other remarques. i leave it. the important we wrote about
@AIT
Prayer or quran boxes as well as for example belts and belt buckles are all introduced new fashion by ottomans in north africa, so one havs to expect less refined work, elaborate patterns, symetry and noble materials!
The last of your picture is a total production of the ottoman smithing centers in asia minor even probablt istanbul!!
So it is not comparable to regional copies such as those from peripheric and out reached provinces of the ottoman world in our case north Africa
@Cordelia
Ottoman work is anything imported such a fashion, trends or object per se from the political and cultural centers of the ottoman world (namely western asia minor and to a lesser extent Syria, the caucasus and parts of the balkans!) into peripheral region of the brader ottoman world such as North Africa and sometimes beyond into yemen or Morocco!his happenned for the optimum of the ottoman dynasty from around the 16th century up until the period of decadence by late 19th and early 20 th century
I give to opposite example
-The use of sea pearls in urban area of North africa widened when these region fell under ottoman rule short after the turks got hold of parts of producing area such as the persian gulf or were the masters of the trading routes headinf west from asia and through which such commodities were traded!
It would have been impossible for such an a trend so firmly settle in local traditions without the ottoman intermediary
-One of the last examples could be the late decadent era of the ottoman ruling cast when they would themselves import new fashion from eastern europe (austria, prussia, hungary....) and export them towards places in the ottoman world before these regions were snatched by colonial powers
Such was the globalizing fashion power played by the ottomans over the territories they controlled
In the case of north africa, this influence was ousted in algeria to the root by the french and all the italian, spanish settlers who come in their luggage
In tunisia, libya and Egypt it somewhat remained confined with the last ruling kings and quickly dwindled when they were dethroned...only traces remain
In morocco, only some very distant influences made their way in acting as a smooth transition between the andalucian heritage and thus keeping it almost intact until the french arrived!!
As per your box, i need to come back home and get a couple of pictures of some jewels to compare with back side and back my theory of a libyan origin, though i could very well share with AIT the tunisian possibility!
If i surmize i could go on saying that this could be a talisman box to ease women delivery for the lone sake of the red glass, which i feel compelled to remind is a true rarity on such work!
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