Shabkah - Coiffe de femme

Sultanate of Oman, late 19th century - early 20th century Composed of a "shabkah" headdress and two temporals. The headdress is made of dark brown woven goat leather, in the shape of a large hairnet, decorated with rows of silver nails and hammered discs, with braids fixed on each side to be firmly attached to the nape of the neck. Silver temporals with ten applied gold plates, in the shape of a double cone, the ends in the form of plump berries held by three ribbed bands, the central part decorated with a row of silver spikes, an allusion to the thorns commonly found in the Omani desert. Gross weight: (headpiece) 108 g; (temporals) 44 g and 42 g. Silver 800 thousandths. Condition: good. L. 55 cm and. 12 cm. The shabka (literally "net") is worn on special occasions by Bedouin women in central and northern Oman. The hair under the shabka is braided and knotted at the nape of the neck and wrapped in a fine-mesh black cloth. Oeuvre comparable / Similar work : British Museum, inv. n°2009,6023.244. A woman head-dress and two gold and silver ear-pendants, Oman, late 19th - early 20th century