Bracelet11th-12th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Islamic Art and Late Antiquity

Title: Bracelet
Place Made: Iran
Date Made: 11th-12th century
Medium: Silver, fabricated from sheet and round wire, decorated with bitumen-highlighted incising
Dimensions: Diameter: 2 1/4 in. (5.71 cm)
Credit Line: The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2002.1.541
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: The human-headed bird, known from classical mythology as a harpy, was a common motif in Greco-Roman and Sasanian Iranian art, which continued into the Islamic period. In Muslim scientific and literary manuscripts, the mythical creature is often associated with exotic lands and considered auspicious. As decoration for this child-size bracelet, it likely served as a symbol of protection.
Selected 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.

On view:

Geffen Galleries, Islamic Art and Late Antiquity

Title: Bracelet
Place Made: Iran
Date Made: 11th-12th century
Medium: Silver, fabricated from sheet and round wire, decorated with bitumen-highlighted incising
Dimensions: Diameter: 2 1/4 in. (5.71 cm)
Credit Line: The Madina Collection of Islamic Art, gift of Camilla Chandler Frost
Accession Number: M.2002.1.541
Classification: Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Islamic
Curatorial Notes: The human-headed bird, known from classical mythology as a harpy, was a common motif in Greco-Roman and Sasanian Iranian art, which continued into the Islamic period. In Muslim scientific and literary manuscripts, the mythical creature is often associated with exotic lands and considered auspicious. As decoration for this child-size bracelet, it likely served as a symbol of protection.
Selected 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.