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Comments

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  Johanne August 15, 2011 at 12:57pm

  Who knows?

  Bought it recently, it's hallmarked (double). Does somebody knows something about the origin/date? One of the marks looks like a 'tugra' (Ottoman empire?). I followed the comments on Tunesian and Siva cuffs of Ann Porteus and Susan Kaplan, and like the interesting story of the fish symbol.

   

  Thanks,

  Johanne
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  Sigrid van Roode August 15, 2011 at 5:26pm

  Hi Johanne,

  This is a very typical bracelet worn in the Siwa oasis in Egypt, called dimlig. These bracelets come in pairs and form part of a womans wedding gift. The technique used on this example is relatively more recent; older varieties ony use engraving while this style is produced in series, and therefore much more wide-spread throughout Egypt. These have been produced since the late 1940's until recently.

  The tughra-shaped signature is in fact the signature of the designer, Mohamed el-Mekkawy, who lived in Cairo and catered to the people of Siwa. His pieces have been found in Libya and Tunisia as well. Usually, bracelets like these also carry Egypt's official hallmark. It looks like a bar subdivided into three spaces, in which one is taken up by a cat (up to 1946) or a lotus flower (from 1946 onwards), an indication of the silver content and an European or Arabic character indicating the exact year of hallmarking. Your hallmark is in the middle of your photograph as far I can see on the picture, but very worn.

  It is a lovely bracelet!
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  Alaa eddine SAGID August 15, 2011 at 5:30pm

  Thank you Sigrid fot these explanations, i really thought that the tughras were actually ottoman era.

   

  Your words make better sense.
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  Sigrid van Roode August 15, 2011 at 5:55pm

  Well you would not be wrong, Ayis! A tughra literally is a signature in calligraphy, and it was used by the Ottoman sultans as their personal seal. In this period, the sultans created each an individual, beautifully crafted signature and if it is one of the Ottoman sultans, a piece usually is dating from the Ottoman times. However, Egypt (once part of the Ottoman Empire) had slowly separated itself from the High Porte at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century when the Mohammed Ali dynasty gained in power. They used the title of khedive over that of wali (which would have been appropiate) and eventually even used the title of King. So, the use of a tughra in Egypt was not limited to just the Sultan, but could be developed by a silversmith as well...and an elegant signature it is!
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  Johanne August 15, 2011 at 9:15pm

  Thank You Sigrid for your comment. You're right there is a third mark it is not good to see it's too worn. I know the hallmark with the cat and the year number, I have some items with it. I didn't know some silversmiths use a Tughra too for marking their work. I thought the use was only limited to the government. Maybe nice to tell ; The (Afghan) seller of the cuff showed my page 58 of your book with the picture of the Egypt "fish bracelet". I could see he often use your book!

  Thanks a lot, Johanne
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  Sigrid van Roode August 16, 2011 at 5:34pm

  Hi Johanne, that is really nice to read! Thank you for sharing!