Turkmen Jewellery Set

A set of Turkmen jewellery in fire-gilded silver set with carnelian, comprising a triangular amulet holder, a pair of chest pendants and a pair of bracelets.

Amulet holder. A horizontal tubular element forms the upper register, with a double triangular field rising above it, engraved and gilded with scrolling pattern and edged with crescent-form projections, each set with a stone. Below, a shaped plate cut in openwork over a red ground carries a further row of carnelian, and linked chains end in small spherical bells.

Chest pendants. Each lozenge-shaped plate is engraved with leaf pattern around a central carnelian in a raised frame, with stones at the corners and a scalloped crest along the upper edges. Chains and carnelian-set plaques hang below, ending in pointed embossed pendants.

Bracelets. A pair of wide open cuff bracelets of silver, worked in raised bands and set with carnelian. The silver carries a worn patina throughout, with the gilding softened on raised areas.

The pieces share the same materials and workmanship: gilded plate, set carnelian and suspended elements. Presented together, they show how a set of this kind was assembled.

From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Iran, 1968.

Title

Turkmen Jewellery Set

Origin

Iran

Date

19th–20th century

Dimensions

Amulet holder H 33 cm (13.0 in) · W 31 cm (12.2 in); chest pendants H 20 cm (7.9 in) · W 13 cm (5.1 in), each; bracelets H 8.5 cm (3.3 in) · D 6.0 cm (2.4 in), each

Medium

Silver, fire-gilded; carnelian; silver chains, bells and embossed pendants

Provenance

From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Iran, 1968.

Condition

Structure intact. Surface worn, gilding softened on raised areas, light green deposits on the bells. Patina consistent and undisturbed.