Gilded Silver & Blue Glass Ear Pendants
Islamic Katawaz Peoples, Pakistan/Afghanistan, 19th
century
length: 13.5cm
These pendants were worn from the hair and headdress
adjacent to the ears, being too heavy to be suspended from
the ears. They comprise a 'basket' from which a 'flowering
tree' grows and are fabricated from embossed silver gilt
plaques attached to a silver base and trimmed with dozens
of blue glass beads secured by fine wire.
They originate from the Islamic people of the Katawaz basin
along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
References: Ear Pendants of similar form are illustrated in
Ethnic Jewellery from Africa, Asia and Pacific Islands, Pepin
Press, 2002, p. 117; and Al-Jadir, S., Arab & Islamic Silver,
Stacey International, 1981, p. 185.
Inventory no.: 596