Early Turkmenistan Gilt Silver Tumar (for Wedding Day)

Central Asia, Iran or Turkmenistan, Turkoman (Turkman) or Tekke peoples, ca. late 19th to mid-20th century CE. This is a massive and gorgeous parcel gilt silver pendant and amulet known as a tumar - presented to and worn by a woman on her wedding day - with an embroidered textile suspension bands as well as dangling chains and bells below. The red glass cabochons are inlaid throughout, and the surfaces are incised with geometric patterning and scrolling shapes, with openwork on the lower half lined in velvet. Bisecting the center is a cylinder with removable end caps, the hollow tube was used to store verses or prayers and/or small and important objects such as money. The triangular shape represents a mountain, and the flanges represent ram horns - a spectacular piece to convey wealth and protect the wearer from harm. Size of pendant w/ bells: 15" L x 11" W (38.1 cm x 27.9 cm)

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website "Turkmen Jewelry" August 2011: "Although nominally Sunni Muslim, the Turkmen kept many of their pre-Islamic customs and beliefs, which were often embodied in the jewelry they made and wore. Turkmen silver jewelry carried deep symbolic meanings and often marked an individual's passage from one stage of life to another. From a very early age, a woman started wearing jewelry whose shapes and materials were believed to ensure her ability to bear healthy children later in life. The amount of embellishments a girl wore increased as she approached marriageable age. Once she had had her first children, and her fertility had been established, the amount of jewelry she received and wore decreased. In addition, silver jewelry believed to ward off evil and illness was worn by men, women, and especially by children."

Provenance: private Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection; ex-private Estate collection, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, acquired 1960 to 2024

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#185558
Condition Report: Missing some hooks on the dangling ornaments, with some held in place by cotton strings. Patina and mineral dark toning to metal surfaces. Missing some chains and bells. Pinhole perforations and indentations and small nicks to the glass.