A digital archive showcasing the extensive collection of jewellery and adornment images shared on the former Ethnic Jewels Ning site over the years. These images have significantly enriched discussions on cultural adornment and its global dispersion.
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Lovely. What is the technique used to create the floral elements? The figures look like etching/carving.
Looks like chasing and/or repoussé to me, Lynn, but I may be mistaken.
Dear Betty and Lynn; Many thanks for your mail. I have posted a photo from the back of the buckle, which shows you that the pattern was worked all from the back.
By the way, knowing that many of you are very interested in Ethiopian pieces and culture, when I have visited the very old Orthodox churches and monasteries in Bulgaria, they reminded me a lot of the Ethiopian churches. Very colorful and most importantly, similar colors and ways of depicting the various images have been used. Very interesting parallels... Regards. Peter
Dear Peter, Thank you for the additional picture.
As for the parallels between Bulgarian churches/monasteries and Ethiopian ones, I can say that I found the same to be true for Armenian, Georgian and even some Russian Orthodox Churches. I believe the Orthodox, Byzantine world was much much more interconnected than we usually think.Regards, Betty
Dear Peter,
I noticed in your description an error of theological nature (forgive my 69 year old, but still sharp mind…): the scene is not the ‘Immaculate Conception’ (which is unknown to Bulgarian Orthodox dogma), but the ‘Annunciation’.
I quote from Wikipedia: “ The Immaculate Conception, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, was the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne, free from original sin by virtue of the foreseen merits of her son Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church teaches that Mary was conceived by normal biological means, but God acted upon her soul (keeping her "immaculate") at the time of her conception.
The Immaculate Conception is commonly and mistakenly taken to mean the conception of Mary's son Jesus Christ in her own womb, and the Virgin Birth of Jesus. These are covered by the Doctrine of Incarnation, while the Immaculate Conception deals with the conception of Mary herself, not that of her son. Although the belief that Mary was sinless and conceived immaculate has been widely held since Late Antiquity, the doctrine was not dogmatically defined until 1854, by Pope Pius IX.”
With kind regard, JM.