The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Turkmen Jewelry from the Collection of Marshall and Marilyn R. Wolf

October 9, 2012–February 24, 2013

Openwork Design

All of the pieces in this case are attributed to Teke workmanship and feature openwork decoration. To achieve the openwork design, craftsman cut through the silver sheet with a chisel or fret saw. Whether backed with fabric in a contrasting color or left without a backing, the openwork ornament lends these pieces a sense of dynamic movement. Using relatively few motifs—the trefoil, S-shape, stylized ram's head, and interlaced arabesque—the craftsmen produced a remarkable range of decoration for their jewelry and furnishings.