Tuareg Chomeissa Mali - 1 - Gallery

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Tuareg Chomeissa Mali - 1

Posted by Eva Baby on December 19, 2012 at 11:47am

9,5 x 7,5 cm, High Silver, the middle part seems to be a copper-brass mix mounted on the silver base. The piece has been worn and is signed.The middle part looks in real more like copper than shown on the photo.

Comments

Eva Baby December 19, 2012 at 11:56am

backside - verso - Rückseite
Chantal December 19, 2012 at 9:16pm

Wahhhhhhhhhhh. Splendid...... Never seen one like that before......ANd in my opinion the pic. is prize winning quality!
Eva Baby December 19, 2012 at 9:47pm

@Chantal, thank you, thank you!
Eva Baby December 20, 2012 at 8:46am

Thanks a lot for the feature. Ait Ouakli thinks, that he had had it in his hands in Bamako. It is possible, because it is a very unusual item. His comments are under the other picture.
Ineke Hemminga - Tuareg Jewelry October 20, 2013 at 1:04pm

Great piece Eva!
Betty October 20, 2013 at 1:24pm

Very intricate. I especially like the combination of silver and bras/copper. Great photograph, too!
Eva Baby October 20, 2013 at 1:30pm

@Thank you both, Ineke and Betty, for your nice comments!
ingrid Langerak October 20, 2013 at 6:12pm

How impressive, beautiful workmanship . Is this a traditional piece and how is it worn and by whom? Men and women?
Eva Baby October 20, 2013 at 6:29pm

The Chomeissa is a traditional Tuareg Amulett for women. It corresponds to the Arabian Khamsa, it represents the Hand of Fatouma (normally it has five parts for the five fingers, this one is a free artistic Interpretation. I have only seen one like this. I enclose a Picture of tradtional chomeissas. Some were given to me by my husbands Family, in Gao (Kidal) Region and Timbuktu. The ancient Malian Chomeissa (only worn in the North, that is Saharian regions of Mali) is made of Shell losenges, but since quite a while also made of metal (or silver for the wealthy ones). So this Piece above is really a Special one.
ingrid Langerak October 20, 2013 at 6:36pm

They are all beautiful and the large one really stands out. Must have been a very confident jeweller, it looks to me as if he combined the strict design of the Tuareg, granulate and his own addition. Thanks for the explanation. So it seems that it is a hand with the fingers turned it.. I do love also the large shell one also carefully done. I love well made stuff.