Wool and metal earrings – Sistan and Baluchestan

Object Note
Part of an ensemble consisting of three more items in the collection (ZI2020.500734 ASIA, ZI2020.500734a ASIA, and ZI2020.500734b ASIA).
 
Object History
This red, black, and ivory pair of woman’s woollen earrings with metalwork 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 based 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.) and (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 necklace all of which are also part of the collection.
 
Object Features
This is a pair of women’s ear ornament or earrings with metal – possibly brass – trimmings. Each piece of the pair is made of a diamond-shaped black felt embellished with black, red, white, and touches of blue 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.) embroidery in a talismanic design, and has metal plates, possibly made of brass hammered into the fabric.
The metal plates adorning the earrings have embossed or carved floral and geometric designs. A large pink tassel made of silk floss Floss: (Old French: flosche – nap of velvet), is a type of silk fibre obtained from the cocoons of wild silkworms. It is characterized by its long, fluffy fibers that are not tightly woven, making it ideal for use in various textile applications such as embroidery, lace-making, and sewing. threads hangs from the middle and flanked by two small medallions made of metal with a crown motif embossed on them. This crown motif is possibly the Qajar crown that adorned the top of Qajar currency and seals and was often accompanied by a lion and a sun – shir o Khurshid – motif.
The presence of these medallions thus testifies that this piece and 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