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Pashtun torque

Posted by Thelma on September 19, 2016 at 2:22pm

A rigid silver torque from Afghanistan, the decoration of which is typical of the NW Pashtuns: opposing 'snakes heads'; 3 bosses soldered to the underlying plate at the front, each decorated with a turquoise-coloured stone surrounded by repousse 'petals'; framing the bosses, in this case, other shapes like leaves or cypress trees; a solid frieze of 39 rosettes at the base. And these were not just decorations but symbols, all of which would carry meaning for the original owner, probably a young Pashtun woman from Nooristan or Swat Kohistan.

Comments

Thelma September 19, 2016 at 2:40pm

The back of the torque is also decorated... the 'snakes heads' are there on the back as on the front... but the rest of the decoration is different.... garlands of simple abstract shapes engraved in the silver.
Betty September 19, 2016 at 4:32pm

A very impressive and very beautiful piece - I always enjoy your lovely pictures and your educational descriptions, Thelma.
Thelma September 19, 2016 at 7:13pm

Dear Betty, thanks for your comments. There seems to be a bit of a controversy about these particular torques. Those in the Bir Collection are said to come from the NW Pashtuns in Afghanistan whereas the one in the Ghysels Collection is said to come from Swat, over the border in Pakistan. Of course, national borders don't really count when it comes to the mapping of cultural objects. But nevertheless I've chosen Afghanistan as the place of origin. The previous owners bought the torque in Kabul from Zahir Ibrahimi, a tribal art dealer, in the 1970s. But I could be wrong. I'll attach a photo of the one in the Ghysels Collection.
Joost Daalder September 20, 2016 at 2:08pm

Thanks for images and comments, Thelma!
Joost Daalder September 20, 2016 at 2:22pm

Hi Thelma, - I must admit I have also feel inclined to believe that these are usually from Pakistan, but I note your comments about the Bir book and the Ghysels one. For what it is worth: as a scholar the person who did the Bir book is, overall, better than those who did the Ghysels books. I do realise that this is a generalisation, but as such I think my observation is very probably right, in that I have not yet found mistakes in the Bir book, whereas in the Ghysels books they are certainly not absent. However, I do not at all feel qualified to settle the issue about these torques myself!!
Thelma September 22, 2016 at 3:00pm

Yes, I started by thinking that these came from Swat; and Swat was one of the locations mentioned by the excellent seller... together with Kohistan and Nooristan. I suspect they may have been included in the Afghanistan chapter of the Bir book because that was the place of acquisition... just as the one above was acquired in Kabul. But it is not clear. What is certain is that they are all Pashtun. And there are many Pashtun people living in the high mountain valleys in Swat Kohistan and Nooristan. Here is a photo of one of the torques from the Bir collection.
Joost Daalder September 22, 2016 at 3:15pm

What you say makes excellent sense to me, Thelma. In particular, I agree that they are all Pashtun. And you may well be right to think that the Bir identification was based on the place of acquisition.
Erika Inhofer October 11, 2016 at 2:17am

Dear Thelma,

I just found a similar torque in `Jewelry Concepts and Technology`by Oppi Untracht on page 137. He`s description says: Nuristan, Afghanistan worn by Paschtu women.
Joost Daalder October 11, 2016 at 3:00am

Erica - that is useful, but doesn't Untracht say "Paschtun" rather than "Paschtu". It matters, for "Paschtun" is merely another spelling of "Pashtun". Untracht's testimony is of course highly auhoritative, so I am just checking to see whether he does say "Paschtun".
Erika Inhofer October 11, 2016 at 3:28am

I still have the book open in front of me and it says `Pashtu` women. Sorry for my spelling mistake.