Gallery

Comments

• 

  Marie-Ange January 18, 2012 at 9:37am

  Oh what a beautiful and unusual jewelry piece, have never seen or heard of it can you tell me how it is worn or used?  Thanks alot :)
• 

  Edith D January 18, 2012 at 10:46am

  Thanks...Ayis also has one of these, although his has 3 plaques and would have reached the bottom hem of the woman's dress.  I think this one would have reached about mid-calf.  The loop was used to secure a belt woven from multiple cords (probably made from wool or cotton).  I have a southern-style holga also in my photos that is attached to a cord belt.  The style in the photo above are usually from the area around Sfax (eastern Tunisia).  I imagine the belt would have made a pleasing jangle sound as the woman walked.
• 

  Alaa eddine SAGID January 18, 2012 at 12:27pm

  Nice find Edith, do you have any information on the social use of these belts (brides, ceremonies, dailylife?)

  I bought mine here at on auction in Paris for a bit less than a dollar per gram wich i fond is fair price.

  But the dollars kept accordingly with the hefty weight.
• 

  Edith D January 18, 2012 at 1:16pm

  Oddly enough, although you see lots of these, I have yet to even see a photo of a woman wearing a holga.  I would guess that these would be too impractical for every day use.

  I also paid a very reasonable price for this holga.  I see lots of holgas with simpler dangles, but this was only the second holga with plaques that I had ever seen, so I snapped it up!  The shop owner would not sell the other holga with plaques that I had seen---too bad the other had 3 plaques, coral and nicer etching.  (Tunisians have this very strange practice of putting all sorts of things in their shops that they refuse to sell.  I was in one shop yesterday that appeared to have about 20% of the shelf space for display pieces, all old silver...yet the shop keeper would only sell new silver!  Westerners would consider that a waste of commercial space!)
• 

  Alaa eddine SAGID January 18, 2012 at 1:52pm

  Thanx edith, well this is not an uncommon practice and in morocco i have been turned away "always politely" when asking about some old stuff wich was only for display. Useless to say that it was very painul but i learnt that many did not care about selling these stuff, sometimes due to a potential sentimental link ( their own grandmother's stuff) or by fear of not receiving the right price or even thinking that if they sell it they won't be able to find similar ones....

  I suspect many a dealer in these coutries have developped a passionate and loving soul for some of their pieces in the same way we collectors have.
• 

  Edith D January 18, 2012 at 2:04pm

  Well, I agree that I can certainly sympathize having an attachment to certain pieces, and it is nice that people in Tunisia do have some regard for the old work.  I guess that I just think it strange the shop owners would display them in their shop rather than at home.  In any case, I am glad that I was lucky enough to find this piece for sale.  Have you seen any photos or illustration of someone wearing a holga?
• 

  Alaa eddine SAGID January 18, 2012 at 2:06pm

  DO YOU MEAN JUST A SIMPLE HOLGA? OR A HOLGA ZALGHOUN?
• 

  Edith D January 18, 2012 at 2:40pm

  Any holga!
• 

  Alaa eddine SAGID January 18, 2012 at 2:47pm

  here it is with an extra :a very beautiful fibula pair!  :-)

  Semms like the buckle itself wasn't meant to tighten the belt but would hang loosely??

  
• 

  Suzan Kaplan January 18, 2012 at 3:40pm

  Beautiful. So perfectly simple. It must make a nice sound when worn.