Enquiry about object: 9697
Rare Pair of Sulawesi-Buton Upper-Arm Bridal Bracelets
Butonese People, Buton Island, Eastern Indonesia 19th-early 20th century
external diameter: 13.4cm, internal diameter: 10.3cm, combined weight: 106g
Provenance
private collection, Amsterdam, and acquired in the 1980s by the previous owner in the Netherlands
This pair of hollow silver bracelets were intended to be worn by a bride, over her costume, on her upper arms. Each is of crenulated form and decorated with alternating panels of flower motifs.
Most jewellery items that have been collected from Sulawesi, a large island in the Indonesian archipelago, north-est of Bali, are from the Bugis, Makassarese or Torajan ethnic groups. But this pair of bracelets is from the Islamic Butonese people from Buton, an island just off the lower right tip of Sulawesi.
The Butonese traditionally have been seafarers and traders. The Sultan of Buton ruled the island from the 14th to the 20th century. Today, the population of Buton island is less than half a million.
The pair are light for their size, to allow them to be worn comfortably on the upper arms over clothing. They have obvious age and patina.
Above: A studio portraits of Buton officials, circa 1900, from the Tropenmuseum collection.
