Earring, One of a Pair

Unknown

first half 20th century · Silver sheet, filigree, enamel, coral and imitation coral · Islamic Art

These earrings known as "tegoudmatine" are ornamented on the recto and verso with brightly colored enamels that are typical of the Kabylie region in Algeria. Enameling techniques in North African Berber jewelry are believed to have been brought by jewelers exiled from Muslim Spain after the fifteenth century Reconquista. While coral was a much-valued gemstone in Berber culture, plastic imitation is often found in jewelry from the twentieth century.

Artist

Unknown

Date

first half 20th century

Medium

Silver sheet, filigree, enamel, coral and imitation coral

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Bequest of Helen Winslow Durkee Mileham, 1954