Wool and metal necklace – Sistan and Baluchestan

Object Note
Part of an ensemble consisting of three more items in the collection (ZI2020.500734 ASIA, ZI2020.500734a ASIA, and ZI2020.500734c ASIA).
 
Object History
This red and black woollen woman’s necklace with metal work native to the Balochi/Baluchi tribes native to Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India was purchased by Dr. Reem Tariq

Ṭariq: (Arabic; Synonym: tulle_bi_talli; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the Levant Arab region specifically in Lebanon.

El Mutwalli Dr. Reem Tariq

Ṭariq: (Arabic; Synonym: tulle_bi_talli; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the Levant Arab region specifically in Lebanon.

el Mutwallī: Founder (CEO) of the Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative, a public figure, speaker and author. An expert curator and consultant in Islamic art and architecture, interior design, historic costume, and UAE heritage., from a dealer in southern Iran, in 2020 to be added to The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative collection. It was part of an ensemble along with a set of (shalvar shalvār: in Farsi, in the Emirati colloquial: ṣarwāl. In the Levantine colloquial: Shirwāl. Plural: sarāwīl, ṣarāwīl, sharāwīl, ṣarwīlāt). It is loose pants at the waist with folds, and narrow at the ankles. It is tied with a rope at the waist.),(pashk Pashk: (Persian: Posāk or Sanskrit Poshaka – Garment; from Sanskrit: Poshanam – To nurture), loose fitting calf length dress often worn over a pair of trousers similar to a South Asian kameez

Kameez: (Possibly late Latin: Camisia – Linen Undergarment; Arabic: Qamīs; Synonym: qamīs, qmijah, gmijah), a traditional loose fitting long tunic or shirt worn by both men and women in the Near and Middle East, South and Central Asia. Typically extending below the waist it is usually paired with a pair of trousers.

. ), and a pair of earrings all of which are also part of the collection.
 
Object Features 
This is a women’s neck ornament or necklace with a metal – possibly brass – chain. The pendant is made of a triangular-shaped felt embellished with red wool with possibly (buttonhole_stitch) and (cross_stitch Cross_stitch: A popular form of embroidery in which X-shaped stitches are used to create a design on fabric. It is a simple and versatile technique that can be used to create a wide range of patterns and designs and is commonly used in decorative and functional embroidery projects.) style embroidery in a talismanic design, and has metal plates, possibly made of brass hammered into the fabric.
The metal plates adorning the pendant have embossed or carved floral and geometric designs. A large round-shaped central plate with a filigree of a floral motif adorns the central drop of the pendant. This is accompanied by two small round filigree medallions with a tree motif and five round pieces of metal coins with a Laurette bust, legends, and dates hanging from the edges of the pendant.
The coins are possibly made of aluminum originally with nickel plating. The legend and date read ‘Republique Francaise 1808’ testifying that these were possibly currency tokens that exchanged hands in the region especially in Persia and parts of Greater Persia between c.1807-1809 – a period that witnessed a Franco-Persian alliance between Napoleon I (Bonaparte) and Fath Ali Shah of Qajar Persia.
The presence of these coins thus testifies that this piece along with the rest of the ensemble that accompanied it possibly originated in present-day Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran.
 
Links

• Valérie Bérinstain, Mary Hunt Kahlenberg, Zaira Mis, Marcel Mis. Asian Costumes and Textiles from the Bosphorus to Fujiyama: The Zaira and Marcel Mis Collection. California: Skira, 2001. 


• Suleman, Fahmida. Textiles of the Middle East and Central Asia (British Museum) The Fabric of Life. London: Thames and Hudson, 2017. 


• Embroidery from Afghanistan Fabric, folios. Sheila Paine. Washington: University of Washington Press, 2006. 


• Sukhareva, Olʹga Aleksandrovna. Suzani Suzani: (Farsi: suzandozi : needlework, from Farsi: suzan: needle, dozi: embellishment), type of embroidered and decorative Central Asian tribal textile art usually on a cotton fabric, embroidered in both silk or cotton thread with primarily chain, satin, and buttonhole stitches as well as couching technique. : Central Asian Decorative Embroidery. Samarkand: SMI Asia, 2013. 


• https://balochistanlovers.wordpress.com/2016/02/07/balochi-culture/ 


• https://www.pakpedia.pk/balochi-culture/ 


• https://www.encyclopedia.com/fashion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/asia-central-history-dress 


• https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-iranica-online/clothing-COM_7759?lang=fr#COM-10186 


• https://www.persiscollection.com/product/agate-lion-and-sun-necklace/ 


• https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces216069.html