Fibula, One of a Pair

Unknown

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

Perhaps the best-known form of North African Berber jewelry is the triangular shaped fibula. This large pair would have been worn at the shoulder, and is 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 Reconquista in the fifteenth century.

Artist

Unknown

Date

first half 20th century

Medium

Silver, enamel, imitation coral

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Bequest of Helen Winslow Durkee Mileham, 1954