Earring, One of a Pair

first half 20th century
Not on view
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Earring, One of a Pair
  • Date: first half 20th century
  • Geography: Attributed to Algeria, Kabylie
  • Medium: Silver sheet, filigree, enamel, coral and imitation coral
  • Dimensions: H. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm)
    W. 1/2 in. (1.3 cm)
  • Classification: Jewelry
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Helen Winslow Durkee Mileham, 1954
  • Object Number: 55.111.36
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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