Gilt Silver Bracelet

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Gilt Silver Bracelet

Egypt or Syria, 11th century
Jewelry and Adornments; bracelets
Fabricated from sheet, incised, and decorated with gilding, niello inlay, and grains
Length: 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm); Width: 2 9/16 in. (6.51 cm)
The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost (M.2002.1.552)
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

Jewelry played an important role in the lives of women living in Fatimid-controlled Egypt and Syria, and it is clear from surviving trousseau lists that it was the most valuable component of a bride’s...
Jewelry played an important role in the lives of women living in Fatimid-controlled Egypt and Syria, and it is clear from surviving trousseau lists that it was the most valuable component of a bride’s dowry, providing a source of financial security in the event of divorce or her husband’s death. Jewelry such as this elegant gilt silver bracelet, which was likely once part of a matched pair, may have been owned for this purpose. Such tubular or hollow bracelets possibly fit the description manfukh (Arabic for "inflated" or "puffed up"), often found in contemporaneous trousseau lists and associated with the wealthiest of brides.
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Bibliography

  • Lo Terrenal y lo Divino: Arte Islámico siglos VII al XIX Colección del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Ángeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural La Moneda, 2015.

  • Komaroff, Linda. Beauty and Identity: Islamic Art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2016.