The dresses of Bedouin women consist of a large, rectangular piece of material that is wrapped about the body in such a way that the four corners of the fabric lie on the woman’s shoulders. Two end corners from the front, two from the back. These two fabric corners, one from the front, one from the back, are brought together at the shoulders by means of a fibula. For this reason a long pointed pin, which hangs from the fibula, is pushed through both corners of the robe and is attached to the fibula itself. The dress is now ready to be worn. The present, flat ‘crescent moon’ called ‘Khilal’, crafted from good quality silver, is only part of a typical Libyan robe fibula. The pin is missing. The pin was once attached by the small hole on the right edge. However, the present, large sickle-shaped silver ‘Khilal’ is in any case the more beautiful part of such a fibula and would be valued very highly as a piece of jewellery in the collection of a Bedouin woman. On the front side this fibula displays delicate engraving and punched decoration: there are three crescent shapes and in the middle of each one sits a flower in the form of a six point star (‘Seal of Solomon’). The spaces between the three main motifs are filled with leafy tendrils and trimmed with engraved bands. On the back of this flat crescent moon and on its thickened ends, six punched hallmarks by the silversmith (HB) and the region of the city of Tripoli (a ship in a crest, with an inscription, a crown and laurel branches) can be seen. It is an interesting object with good traces of use and some distinctive qualities (the hallmarks) and – apart from the missing pin – there are no damages.
Height: c. 14.3 cm; width: 15 cm.
First third of the 20th century. (ME)

Provenance:
German private collection.

Lit.:
‘Libyan Jewellery’ by Elena Schenone Alberini, ill. p. 4, 13 (hallmarks), 24, 32, 60, 61, 84.