Enquiry about object: 7153
Eastern Indonesian Brass Ear Pendant (Pepek-Soriti)
Tanimbar, Eastern Indonesia 18th-19th century & possibly earlier
width: 5.5cm, length: 7.2cm, depth: 1cm, weight: 113g
Provenance
private collection, Germany.
Ear pendants such as this example have something of an iconic form. It is heavy and of solid brass or copper alloy. It has been cast with an edge of radiating spokes, and the face with six radiating lines with dots in relief between them. The reverse is plain.
They were worn by unmarried girls on Tanimbar Island in the Maluku Islands of Eastern Indonesia. The practice is believed to be centuries old and the ear ornaments were handed down through the generation. The tradition had ceased by the early 20th century however.
Similar examples in Amsterdam’s Tropenmuseum are illustrated in Meulenbeld (1988, p. 207).
The example here has a wonderful chocolate colour and smooth, worn patina. It is a fine collectable piece, but also could be worn as a pendant from a necklace.
References
Meulenbeld, B.C., et al, Budaya Indonesia: Arts and Crafts in Indonesia, Tropenmuseum, 1988
Richter, A., & B. Carpenter, Gold Jewellery of the Indonesian Archipelago, Editions Didier Millet, 2012.
Wassing-Visser, R., Sieraden en Lichaamsversiering uit Indonesie, Volkenkundig Museum Nusantara Delft, 1985.
