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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Comments
A great and powerful piece! Excellent!
This was not worn on a male official's topknot. It's probably a statue decoration or a Mooneater for a nobleman who could not afford a typical Mooneater.
I have seen a few of these like this and the top knot idea is probably more realistic because of the way of wear on the reverse would have been used and not as much wear on it if for a statue in the back. The oils from hair and touching are more apparent in the ones I have seen including this one where the silver gilt gets worn down more then gold.
Since I bought this piece for my collector, I can tell you that there is not much wear on the back. This piece was worn either as a poor aristocrat's Mooneater or as a stupa decoration. It was never worn on an official's topknot, which was called a pachok ("Hero's Knot"), because only gau boxes (takors -"hair gaus") were worn there. Hair gaus were tied between the two braided topknots of a pachok. They were rank badges only worn by lay officials of the 4th rank & up. There were always prayers & relics inside to bless the official's work in reaching correct decisions to aid the populace.
You said it was either worn by a statue and or a person and the idea that it was worn by a statue , the patina and wear was more to me that something used on a statue. It makes more sense to have been used by an official as one in gold would have been.. What I'm saying is that the ones I have seen non gold always have more soft wear on them, more then if they were stationed on a statue and not being touched much or moved. The kind of wear I'm talking about is patina and use that something gets when rubbing cloth or being touched and this had that on the back. Different then when things are from statues . Unless first they are used then donated and placed, that is different then.