Enquiry about object: 7144
Timorese Silver Ear Ornament
Timor, Eastern Indonesia early 20th century
width: 7.3cm, length: 7.2cm, weight: 22g
Provenance
private collection, Germany
Normally worn in pairs but often only available singularly, this woman’s ear ornament, from central Timor, is of cast silver. Of triangular form, the central space is decorated with tight spirals and the outer borders are marked by intricate knobs and granulation suggestive of delicate seaweed or corals. The ornament terminates with a solid silver, bud-like terminal.
The marriage rites of the people of central Timor traditionally involved the exchange of considerable quantities of metal goods including jewellery. An item, such as this would have been party of that exchange.
Similar examples are illustrated in Rodgers (1995, p. 298) and Carpenter (2011, p. 275).
The example here has obvious age and is particularly intricate.
References
Carpenter, B., Ethnic Jewellery from Indonesia: Continuity and Evolution, Editions Didier Millet, 2011.
Rodgers, S., Power and Gold: Jewelry from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, The Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva, 3rd ed. 1995.
