Out of Mongolia - Ancient Symbols in Jade and Bronze

To begin in the middle of things, I will post a few entries on the central and most imposing image in the ornamental and ritual symbols created by the earliest jade craftsmen along the Yellow River in a part of the world we now call Inner Mongolia in the fourth millennium B.C.: the Dragon symbol in various forms.   The symbol is often in amulets or talismans; but it is also carved into small statues and is often an image on a vessel, on utensils or symbols of authority such as the jade axe head. 

This is a short introduction that I wrote on another blog that I am moving to this site because it more properly belongs with the much later spiritual symbolism in the tribal ornamentation of the Turkmen up into the beginning of the twentieth century A.D. 

Dragons in Ancient Himalayan Cultures

I will begin this series of blog posts with my interest in the ancient symbol of the entwined or coiled serpent, especially the amuletic expression of the whorled serpent.  It began as a stone carved in the image of a serpent or serpent dragon with its tail in its mouth.  It is the ancient ouroboros.  As the word is spoken it almost sounds like a wheel-y motion if you roll the 'R' while pronouncing the word.

I found my first ouroboros as a Bactrian artifact in an antique shop in Ghazni, Afghanistan.  It was lying in an old bronze pot, and I knew I had to buy it.  I am glad I did; I had no idea whence it had come, nor what age it was.  I knew it appeared to be an ancient whorled serpent symbol that I had studied and imagined for years already at that time -- 1974.  

This is my very own Ouroboros that I bought that day, beginning our collection of Bactrian artifacts, though we did not know it was Bactrian.  

I assume that the stone cutter of this piece and the one that carved the naturalistic statue in the header above had two different things in mind or that they were separated in time, distance, status or even lived in two different artistic traditions, but both were in Bactria at some time long ago.  The difference is evident between the abstract and rather primitive ouroboros and the naturalistic domesticated dragon statue above.  He is wearing a collar, so he is apparently a domestic animal belonging to perhaps a royal person in the community.  We will find that there is a strong relationship between the dragon and the ruler of a settlement or a kingdom.  

Some days after I collected this ouroboros, my husband found a spectacular detailed Bactrian ouroboros in a Kabul antique shop: 

This is a very different kind of ouroboros.  The whorl design is there, but there are two serpent dragons and they are not eating each other or their own tails.  They are eating a goat.  The goat later becomes a sacred ancestor symbol among certain of the Altai-Himalayan tribes, so this may have been an early intimation of that spirituality, expressing a struggle between two forces, one good and another that is devouring the good.  

This is a very short and rather superficial introduction to the study of dragon images in two different Himalayan communities of late Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age: the Bactrian  culture on the west side of the mountains and the later Tocharian culture on the east side of the Himalayas.   The connection between the Euro-Iranian Tocharians in what is now Northwest China and the Chinese culture in South China is JADE.  It is from jade that the Chinese nobility wanted their amulets and statuary made.  And it was the people that lived near the Hotan River in Northwest China that could bring it to the developing dynastic rulers to the South of them.  

 This is a very small print of a copy of a Hongshan jade amulet purported to be from about 5,000 to 6,000 years ago.  Such symbols were carried by tradition into the Bronze Age and respected by the dynastic families.  The nobility wanted their status symbols made of jade, too.  And for many centuries the jade dragon has been carried as an amulet or protective jewelry for those who could afford the price of jade.  Phoenixes and a combination of a dragon and phoenix have come into modern times as noble symbols, especially when expressed in jade. 

In later posts, we will fill in the history of how the Himalayas came to be the home of people who dressed like the ancestors of Europeans, looked like them and spoke many words that English speakers could still recognize, in a language somewhere between Old Persian (Iranian) and Old Celtic, which was spoken until Medieval times in places as far apart as  what is now Ankara, Turkey and Ireland.  

Furthermore, we will discuss the significance of jade and agate in the amuletic traditions on each side of the Himalayas.  Though the Bactrians spoke a language related to the Tocharian, their attitude toward ornamentation seemed to differ.  The Tocharian mummies found in the Tarim Basin of China wear beautifully woven clothing, but the jewelry either had been removed or they did not wear much of it.  Their relation to the jade dragon amulets made by the successors of the Hongshan culture in what is now called Inner Mongolia seemed to be through trade.  They supplied much of the Hetian or Hotan jade that the successors of the Hongshan people used to make the dragon amulets.  The Tocharian mummies in what is now Xinjiang Province in China are dated ca. 2,000 B.C. around a thousand years after the Hongshan culture had passed into history, except for the legacy of jade dragon symbols that continued to be reproduced into modern times.  

While the Indo-Europeans of the Eastern side of the Himalayas seemed not be a heavily bejeweled culture, the Bactrian ruins were found to be full of highly symbolic ornaments of very valuable materials, from beautifully shaped colored agate amulets and beads to life-sized gold masks.  

These names and places will be filled out for us in the upcoming blogs.  For now, the dragon will sleep.  

Old Turkoman Gilded Silver Globe Bead Pendant

Antique Turkoman Gilded Silver Pendant Afghan Jade Bead with Dated Coin

This large antique Turkoman gilded silver pendant with a small Afghan jade or serpentine bead and a dated Afghan coin make a strong visual impact when worn. First the gilded Turkoman globe bead is directly in line with the ancestral motifs that had persisted through the history of the Turkmen, at least from the time they came down from their sacred mountain in the Altai chain. One of the constants in designing their adornments is what we would call a heart shape. They call it Asyk. Eight equal sized asyks are formed by placing a thin layer of gold in a facet of the silver globe around the top of the globe. A heart shape is cut out of the center of the thin gold layer before it is placed on a facet of the silver globe, thus revealing a silver heart shape. Then the pattern is reflected on the bottom section of the globe. In this manner, the designer continues two tribal traditions in Turkoman jewelry: standardized numbers of repetitions of a decorative motif and reflections of the symbols on the top of a piece of jewelry to appear on the bottom in a mirror image.

The eight asyk shapes formed by gilded silver cut-outs on the silver background adhere to the 4, 8, 16, arrangements of life in the Turkoman world view. It is unusual to find old Turkoman pieces that depart from the standard arrangement in making their jewelry. Spherical jewelry is usually made in two sections with a band encircling the middle in order to make the hollow sphere or cylinder possible. This particular globe has a decorative band around its middle.

To cover the bead hole at the top of the pendant, there is a serpentine bead known as Afghan jade. It is quite old; I collected it as part of a prayer bead string in Afghanistan in 1974. It was old at that time, so it was possibly made at about the same time as the globe bead. Through the globe runs a length of hammered gold plated wire with loops. Hanging from the bottom gold wire loop is an Afghan bead dated 1294 A. H. which translates to 1873 A.D. The coin may well be older than the pendant. The pendant has a ding in the top section that does not show when worn with the opposite side to the front.

You will find a similar globe bead hanging from a tumar, a mountain symbol, on page 263 of Dieter and Reinhold Schlechter's book, Old Silver Jewellery of the Turkoman.

The pendant hangs on a gold filled chain.

Measurements
Neck chain: 18 in (46 cm)
Globe Pendant: 38 mm (1.5 in) diameter x 12.4 cm (5 in) including bead and coin.

The Allure of Coral

Coral was traded as a valuable item for two or three thousand years before it became a gem that was bought with money.  The trade routes that became known as the Incense Road and the Silk Road were were well established migrant tracks across great lengths of many present-day nations by the third millennium B.C.  Trading was a natural outgrowth of the movement of peoples.  As they uprooted from one place, they took with them the possessions that they had accumulated, whether animals, beads, pots, skins, plant seeds, or chunks of minerals from the earth, such as pigments.  As they moved they no doubt often exchanged some of their valuables for other valuable items along the way.

This is how coral from the Mediterranean, the richest source of that organic bead material, came along the trade route that ended in what we now know as China.  As the owners of the coral passed from Italy to China through Greece, Persia, and the through the steppes of Central Asia or through India into what is now northwestern China, they could use their alluring gems of coral as items of trade.  As a result, as Christina del Mare writes

*The peoples of Arabia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tibet, Mongolia and India were all captivated by its allure: its blood-red colour, enigmatic essence, indecipherable origin and durability. *

I would add that coral was probably just as valuable in Iran (ancient Persia) as it was in India and among the various Arabic and Turkic peoples.  

In particular, the people of Yemen used it in designing the labbeh, the bride wealth that each woman wore on her wedding day.  

You can see such a piece from the early 1900s here: 

Antique Yemen Silver and Coral Beads with Mini Amulets

A yet more elaborate labbeh with more and varied sizes and shades of natural coral gemstones is shown below.  The five stranded coral bridal necklace has the added value of Bawsani work, the products of Beit Baws, the community of silversmiths that created the most desired beads and amulets in Southern Arabia. The very fine filigree and granulation on these pieces is no longer being duplicated in the quality and quantity with which the Beit Baws produced them.  

Old Yemen Silver Filigree Granulation Plaques Amulets Bawsani Beads

When we first started our collection of Middle Eastern jewelry, we included many ounces of loose coral, because of its alluring qualities.  As del Mare states in the same essay,  

*...it has always combined myth and magic, for its bright red colour has fascinated people in the East and West alike. Its mysterious origins and its ambiguous nature, combining the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms, have given rise to conjecture and myths, reinforcing its mythical potency....*

As part of our effort to lay in store some extra coral, we collected these three strings of coral displayed as a necklace but in fact is not securely or neatly strung together.  It is offered at my sales point at the price of 3 strings of coral, not as a necklace and therefore, you can have an idea of the current value of coral:

Old Rose Mediterranean Coral Beads Three Strands

The Merchant's Sizzle Words: Kazakh and Bokhara

When I went shopping during the two years I lived in Kabul, Afghanistan, I always heard two words spoken by the merchants in a tone of awe: Kazakh and Bokhara.  The Kazakh style silver jewelry was greatly admired, and the Bokhara carpets and tapestries were prized.  The Teke tribe's gilded jewelry was in a different category and was not such a commonly displayed item while I was in Afghanistan.

The Kazakh design is usually a repetition of pyramidal shapes built up by tiny dots of silver applied to an otherwise smooth surface, most often forming a circular or oval frame around a central gemstone setting.  The technique of forming patterns with tiny dots of silver is called granulation (making grains).  Occasionally the piece would be lightly gold-washed, but not gilded in the same manner that the Teke tribe gilded their silver jewelry.

A simple pendant that I purchased in Afghanistan illustrates the design.

Afghan Antique Silver Filigree Granulation Pendant Coral Carnelian

The Bokhara jewelry is very different from the Kazakh.  Uzbekistan jewelry makers do not follow rigid patterns as their rug makers usually do, nor do they always design the same motifs and gemstones for their more gaudy ornaments.  Here is an example from my own collection:

Bokhara Uzbekistan Pendant Traditional Turkmen Art of Central Asia

The Uzbek Turkoman artisan did, however, produce more subtly decorated pieces of jewelry.  I have another piece from Uzbekistan in my collection that is a delicate enameled floral design on the hollow half-globe of silver.  

I have to admit that some of the subtlety of the piece is removed by the tinkling bells added to the pendant.  They do announce the wearer's approach.  

Bukhara silver enamel cloisonne pendant with dangling bells

International visitors are welcome at my web site to browse, to gather information or to purchase items.  The higher value items are offered on a lay-away (a reserved item paid for in installments) plan.  Come for a visit!

A Yemen Dowry Necklace Restored

Restored to Beauty and Strength for Service to Another Bride

From the Past: Yemen Silver Filigree and Granulation Plaques with Amulets and Bawsani Filigree Drop Beads

Restoring an antique piece differs from merely restringing and certainly is very different from re-designing an old piece in a contemporary fashion.  In this piece I found that the three amulets and the large central plaque were still intact and together.  The end pieces matched, but I do not recall whether they were with the plaque and amulets.  The filigree drop beads and the silver metal spacer beads were collected from the same time and place.  They were all made in Yemen some time before the 1940s.  

Some of the coral was missing.  Enough was replaced to make this piece as much like the original as possible.  

This is a restored antique kirdan necklace commonly known as bridal dowry jewelry. The workmanship of the Jewish silversmith who created these pieces around 75 years ago is astounding. His tools were simple but the purpose was so high: the blessing of a marriage. He was inspired to create these matching pieces which held 5 strings of silver and coral beads. 

The small beads did not have to be so fine, as the original ones were probably not. But the first restorer of this piece some decades ago hung tiny dainty Bawsani type filigree drop beads, one on each of the middle strands, just to show the value of the necklace. 

Over the years the strings wore through, the piece fell apart again. Most of the coral was still with the silver pieces, so it was possible to restore the lazem/kirdan necklace after rummaging through my stray bead trays for my old Mediterranean coral pieces that we had collected over the years. 

You will note that the central plaque had six holes to divide the strands, but the end plaques had only five, though they are perfectly matched in design to the central plaque. Note also that the three amulets also match closely in design. At some point in the long past, some of the attachments on the amulets may have been replaced with a different shape than the original. All the metal pieces are old Yemeni pieces. The coral comes from the same source as the Yemen coral came from: the Mediterranean, possibly off the North African coast. 

In restoring the piece, I wanted to make it as secure as possible on the string I used, so it now hangs on nylon coated steel and should not fall apart for another hundred years at least. I randomly tested the coral I replaced by checking to see if it effervesced in vinegar or lemon juice. It reacted as coral is supposed to react by blowing tiny bubbles in the acidic juice. 

Coral is about 75 grams. 
Length of necklace = 24.5 in (62 cm)
Central Plaque = 1.25 in (3 cm) x 3 in (7.5 cm) including pendants

Kazakh Tradition in Afghanistan

Antique Silver Turkoman Mountain Symbol Hair Ornament as Pendant

The Turkoman people comprise close to ten percent of the population of Afghanistan.  The Uzbeki and the Kazakh have developed their own silver and textile styles of fabricating the ancient symbols into modern fabrics and metals.  The Turkoman tribes such as the Teke, the Yomud and the Ersari who also reside in the Northern reaches of Afghanistan have their own ways of working in silver or fabrics.

The photo shows a piece of silver worked in the usual Turkoman way of having the front reflected on the back.  It is in the form of a tumar or pyramid shape, the symbolism of which is explained below.  The hollow silver pendants that hang from this piece that originally served as a veil or hair ornament also have a back piece that repeats the design on the front.  They form a rhombus, which is essentially the tumar reflected top to bottom instead of back to back.  These shapes have been established for over a thousand years among the people who came down from the Altai mountains onto the plains and steppes of Kazakhstan and Afghanistan.  This piece was created within that long tradition.  It dates from the early 1900s.  

The piece pictured above is one of a pair of Turkoman tenecir, ornaments worn on a head covering or in the hair, attached just above the ear at the temple. When worn as it is displayed on this page, the Turkoman tenecir becomes an elegant, obviously antique, handmade pendant symbolizing the mountain from which the tribe originated. Being beautifully worked in granulation on each side makes this a reversible piece of jewelry. On one side the silver is set with coral beads; on the opposite it is set with two shades of red glass beads or shards. The silver work is all original, but the metal neck chain has been added in recent times. Measurement: Length of chain is 22 inches. Ht, inc. attached symbols is 5 inches; width of pendant is 2.25 inches at base.

To purchase this item, see details HERE.

Chasing Bracelets in Hadhramaut, Yemen

Creating designs in metal by pushing the material into different levels and shapes as a form of decoration has been done since the Bronze Age.  When it is done delicately and the result is aesthetically pleasing, it is known as chasing.  These bracelets show how it is practiced in Hadhramaut:

For more information on these bracelets, click here.

Antique Yemen silver bracelets with rare Hadhramaut pierced and spiked motifs. Probably from the Hadhramaut region since it specialized in this Bedouin style related to the jewelry of Oman in design and techniques. 

Hadhramaut is near Oman, another country on the Arabian Gulf Coast. 

The tools that produced these intricately wrought silver bracelets are very simple, often handmade themselves. The silversmith employs tools for annealing or softening the hard coin silver, a hammer to flatten it and shape it around a dowel. Pliers and cutters are necessary to size and shape the pieces that will fit together. While the pieces are still flat, the piece of silver --still thick enough to be very sturdy for everyday wear in harsh living conditions -- is pierced, chased and embossed (repoussee) into the various patterns before the pieces are soldered together. The spikes, which are not sharp enough to cut, cover the soldered joint of the pieces. On the smooth inside piece of silver, a crease shapes the material to meet the outside where it is joined also by the spiked pattern. 

These were usually made in household shops by a family that handed down the traditional fabrication methods and the old motifs.  Whereas in Sana'a on the Western side of Yemen the silversmiths decorated their metal jewelry with filigree and granulation, on the Eastern side of the nation in Hadhramaut, they decorated their silver jewelry by piercing and chasing it.  

These were bought from a dealer in Yemen for my collection over ten years ago. 

These are in the original condition except for a few very small dimples. 

Measurements: Inside diameter = 7 cm; 2.75 inches

Outside diameter = 11 cm; 4.25 inches

Weight = (1) 100 gm; 3.5 ozs. (2) 93 gm; 3.3 ozs.

I respond promptly to inquiries; I accept lay-away plans for collectors.