An Islamic Gold Pendant, ca. 10th century CE Central Australia Various USA private collections

Various USA private collections

allowing it to be worn as a modern pendant while preserving its ancient integrity

and holes at both the mouth and back of the head to allow smoke to escape

Such relief sculpture is unusual for Central Asia: the only other published examples are a fragment of a steatite plaque from Margiana with a low-relief image of a recumbent bull and a few small fragments of floral and figural decoration for a "mosaic" found at Dashli Tepe

1770 - 1830)

An Islamic Gold Pendant, ca. 10th century CE Central Australia Various USA private collectionsThis elegant pendant is made using box sheet construction, resulting in a light yet durable diamond shaped piece that tapers into double granules at both the top and bottom. At the center is a raised, domed boss surrounded by tightly wound spiral filigree that resembles stylized foliage. The refined wirework and balanced geometry are typical of high quality Islamic goldwork from the early medieval era, during which jewelers favored intricate filigree