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Antique Omani silver necklace with Koran box
Large silver necklace with an Omani cylindrical Hirz with string) and six Theresia Thalers and six silver mounted coral branches and many other silver beads in two strings. Total weight approx 900 grams. Early example with fine detailed silver work.
Arab Name: Marriya mardusa (double strand necklace) with large hirz.
Period: 1850-1900
Origin: Oman Sharqiyah region |
References:
- Oman Adorned Pauline Shelton Robert Richmond / Apex London 1997 p 99,100
- Craft heritage of Oman Neil Richardson & Maria Dorr Volume 2 p 441 item 034 and 040
- Disappearing treasures of Oman 1998 by Avelyn Foster p 28
- Silver jewellery Oman by Jehan S Rajab 1997 p 42
- Traditional silver jewelry and handicrafts from Oman 2009 by Jean Greffioz p 63-64
- Ethnic Jewellery from Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands The René van der Star Collection 2002 Amsterdam Pepin Press page 48
- Oman Faces and places, articles from PDO News magazine 2009 page 139
- Wereld Museum Rotterdam has a similar necklace in their collection (but without the coral beads). h 65 x br 30 x d 2,4 cm gewicht: 957 gr. Ex Collection Smith/Hutschenruyter.De Maria Theresa thalers zijn zo gesoldeerd en geregen dat de achterzijde naar boven is gericht, zodat haar buste niet zichtbaar is tijdens het dragen van het sieraad. Dit hangt zeker samen met de terughoudendheid in het afbeelden van mensen in de islam (dat gangbaar is binnen een religieuze context) Published in Tentoonstellingscatalogus, De Kracht van Zilver, etnische sieraden uit de collectie Smith-Hutschenruyter, Mols. L. e.a., Mercatorfonds Brussel & Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, 2011, p. 113, afb. 21. Inventory number 77029
- British Museum later (1950's) example and single strand. Amuletic silver hirz necklace featuring a cylindrical hirz (Qur'an case) pendant elaborately decorated with die-stamped floral designs, gold-leaf and silver granulation with 14 sets of diamond-shaped danglers hanging from chains. The back of the pendant is more simply decorated with spiral wirework and silver granulation. The necklace also includes 18 barrel-shaped silver beads, 12 Indian Rupees, a pendant of branched coral (marjan or mirgan) and another pendant made from a small spherical glass perfume bottle stopper set in silver. At either end of the necklace is a long tubular bead which is held in place by a knot. The necklace is strung on thickly twisted cotton rope and is fastened on the back with a thin twisted silver wire. The necklace is worn with the faces of the British monarchs resting against the wearer's body (i.e. obverse of the coins face down) The Rupees date from 1879-1916 and therefore date to the reigns of King Edward VII, King George V and Queen Victoria. Similar necklaces are worn by women in northern Oman and by the bedouin women of central Oman and the Wahiba Sands. This one is probably from the Sharqiyah region of northern Oman
- The peoples of Zanzibar, their customs and religious beliefs by Godfrey Dale, universities mission to central Africa Westminster London 1920 page 38-45 "Belief in witchcraft and magic seems to be universal amongst the people of Africa, and even in Zanzibar and Pemba in spite of the presence of Islam, has a very strong hold on the minds of the people. Mohammed himself evidently believed in it, is said to have suffered from the consequences of it, and to have been given the last chapters of the Koran in order to enable him to recover from these consequences. In fact these two last chapters are considered to be of great value as a preservative against witchcraft, and are constantly inscribed on talismans or recited for this purpose etc."
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