Enquiry about object: 5117
Sudanese Bedouin Silver Ring
Rashaida People, Sudan early 20th century
weight: 26.86g, US ring size: 9, UK ring size: R/S
Provenance
UK art market
This unusual, tall ring, made for a woman, is from the Rashaida people of Sudan. The Rashaida is a tribe of ethnic Bedouin Arabs who are descended from Bedouins from the Saudi Arabian peninsula.
The most outstanding feature of this type of ring is the almost oddly high cylindrical bezel.
The ring is decorated with granulation and wire work. The flat top of the bezel is decorated with more granulation work and is arrayed in such a way so as to serve as a protective device against the evil eye.
The bezel is hollow but has some hollowness – a piece metal jangles inside so that the ring tinkles when moved quickly.
An almost identical example is illustrated in van Cutsem (2000, p. 32).
The ring here is stable, wearable, and has clear age.
References
van Cutsem, A., A World of Rings: Africa, Asia, America, Skira, 2000.
Ransom, M., Silver Treasures from the Land of Sheba: Regional Yemeni Jewelry, AUC Press, 2014.
van Roode, S., Desert Silver: Understanding Traditional Jewellery from the Middle East and North Africa, BLKVLD, 2017.
