Enquiry about object: 9681
Large & Fine Yemeni Silver Crescent Pendant Necklace (Ra’la or Qilada)
Wadi Daw'an or Tihama, Yemen early 20th century
width of pendant: 16.8cm, length of chains: 17.5 and 18cm, weight: 334g
Provenance
UK art market
This fine and large crescent-shaped chest pendant or pectoral is of high-grade silver, and would have been worn by a married Bedouin woman.
It comprises a flat silver plate shaped as a crescent. The front has been densely decorated with applied granulation and applique work. Many silver bells have been suspended from the lower edge.
Loops on each side at the top allow for the attachment of a silver chain.
A similar pendant is illustrated in Ransom (2014, p. 182) and attributed to Wadi Daw’an, Yemen.
Another related example is illustrated in Seiwert (2009, p. 325) and is attributed to Tihama, Yemen.
The example here is in excellent condition.
References
Ransom, M., Silver Treasures from the Land of Sheba: Regional Yemeni Jewelry, AUC Press, 2014.
Seiwert, W.D., Jewellery from the Orient: Treasures from the Bir Collection, Arnoldsche Art Publishers, 2009.
