- Title
- Gilt Silver Bracelet
- Date Made
- 11th century
- Medium
- Fabricated from sheet, incised, and decorated with gilding, niello inlay, and grains
- Dimensions
- Length: 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm); Width: 2 9/16 in. (6.51 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.2002.1.552
- Collecting Area
- Art of the Middle East: Islamic
- Curatorial 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 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.
