This item has been added to the Database within the Explore Islamic Art Collections project. Information is available in: English, Arabic.

Name of Object:

Pair of Bracelets with Chased Decoration

Location:

Muscat, Oman

Holding Museum:

National Museum Oman

About National Museum Oman, Muscat

Date of Object:

14th century AH / mid-20th century AD

Museum Inventory Number:

2012.881 (A); 2012.881 (B)

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Silver engraved

Dimensions:

(A) Weight: 113.7g, Diameter: 8.5cm; (B) Weight: 109.9g, Diameter: 8.3cm

Period / Dynasty:

Al-Busaid

Provenance:

Northern Oman

Description:

Hujuls (Bracelets) such as these from the al-Busaid Dynasty, sometimes worn as anklets, were worn in paired sets by women and children in Central and Northern Oman. Small stones sealed inside rattle with the movement of wearer. These are fine examples of one of Oman's oldest design elements, circles with central dots. Its use on shell jewellery has been dated to the 4th millennium BC. More complex dot-in-circle patterns are found on 3rd and 2nd millennium BC soft-stone vessels where they are typically arranged in rows and combined with linear elements. Today dot-in-circle patterns continue to be used by Omani artisans working in clay, wood, copper, silver and many other materials. They are seen on wooden drums, axe blades and knife scabbards of the Musandam Peninsula, on the silver jewellery of northern Oman and on the pottery of Dhofar.

How Object was obtained:

Museum of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture

Citation of this web page:

 "Pair of Bracelets with Chased Decoration" in Explore Islamic Art Collections. Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;on;Mus21;5;en

Copyedited by: Valerie Pulsifer

MWNF Working Number: OM1 05