7144

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    Timorese Silver Ear Ornament

    Timor, Eastern Indonesia
    early 20th century

    width: 7.3cm, length: 7.2cm, weight: 22g

    Sold

    Provenance

    private collection, Germany

    – scroll down to see further images –

    Normally worn in pairs but often only available singularly, this woman’s ear ornament, from central Timor, is of cast silver.  Of triangular form, the central space is decorated with tight spirals and the outer borders are marked by intricate knobs and granulation suggestive of delicate seaweed or corals. The ornament terminates with a solid silver, bud-like terminal.

    The marriage rites of the people of central Timor traditionally involved the exchange of considerable quantities of metal goods including jewellery. An item, such as this would have been party of that exchange.

    Similar examples are illustrated in Rodgers (1995, p. 298) and Carpenter (2011, p. 275).

    The example here has obvious age and is particularly intricate.

    References

    Carpenter, B., Ethnic Jewellery from Indonesia: Continuity and Evolution, Editions Didier Millet, 2011.

    Rodgers, S., Power and Gold: Jewelry from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, The Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva, 3rd ed. 1995.

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