Silver of the Possessed

Silver of the Possessed

by | Reviews

Jewellery of the Egyptian zar

Silver of the Possessed

Updated May 24, 2025

A book by myself this time! Silver of the Possessed brings you the historic and cultural context of Egyptian zār jewellery: what is Egyptian zār jewellery and how may we recognize it?

What is zār?

Zār is a possession cult that was brought into Egypt in the 19th century. It arrived there because of the slave trade: zār is an African possession cult, introduced in Egypt by enslaved women of colour from Ethiopia. And that was not just in Egypt: zār is found in a large area. It is practised differently everywhere: zār in Sudan is different from that in Egypt, and both are different from zār in Oman or Iran.

In all varieties, the general idea is that a person can become possessed by a spirit. This spirit then can make the human host very uncomfortable – until it gets what it wants. One thing to keep in mind is that the spirit will not leave: when its requests are met, it will generally leave the human host in peace, but it stays with the person for the rest of their lives. During a zār, the possessed enter a trance stage during which communication with the spirit is possible.

The Egyptian zār has a unique feature, and that is the use of silver jewellery with images of spirits.

Zār jewellery

And those jewellery pieces are popular collector’s items today. You’ll see several examples in the images in this blog: click on any one of them to enlarge them. While these pieces are very popular, it is not quite clear what they did in the ritual, or who is depicted on them.

And apart from these pieces, there is a lot that is labelled ‘zār’, but is all of that really zār jewellery? How can we tell the difference between regular jewellery and zār jewellery?

You’ll find many different bits and pieces of information on the individual spirits, on the use of jewellery, and of zār itself….but it’s not always easy to tell what’s what. So, I decided to dive into this topic several years ago, and what I found was so much more than I’d ever thought possible!

Zār jewellery in museums and private collections

This book is the result of combing through endless pages of literature from the 19th and 20th century, but also of studying collections of zār jewellery: in museums, and in private collections. I can’t begin to tell you how much fun I had going over so many pieces of jewellery – although entering them all into a database was tedious work at times, it can’t all be glamour and bling!

I have seen well over 1,200 pieces, and while I was describing all these, I started to note changes over time. Zār jewellery from the 1920s looks very different from that of the 1970s – why could that be? And what about all those pieces of jewellery that were absolutely made for zār, but that are so rare these days that no private collections holds these, only very few museums…?

Silver of the Possessed: zār jewellery in context

So what will you find in this book? My goal was to place jewellery of the Egyptian zār in its cultural and historical context. So first, I traced how our current understanding of this jewellery has evolved through collecting and publishing: how do we know what we think we know? Turns out there is quite a lot of copy-and-not-exactly-paste that has influenced our view on these pieces!

Next, I go over jewellery from several angles. Its cultural background in African possession cults can be translated into a new insight of the many roles jewellery played in zār. That comes with a handy table of 5 categories of zār jewellery, so you’ll know how to identify them correctly!

I also looked at jewellery as a financial asset to zoom in on its implications for household economy dynamics, And, ever the archaeologist, I traced the developments in this jewellery over seven decades: interestingly, those changes in jewellery reveal changes in the ritual itself.

For me, the most exciting part is how this jewellery may function as an actual historic source: these jewellery items shed light on the world view of their wearers, and as such form an unexpected additional source for late 19th and early 20th century Egypt. You can actually ‘read’ these pieces, and I’m sharing how I did that.

Egyptian zār jewellery: a catalogue

And of course, there is a catalogue! Over 100 previously unpublished jewellery items in private collections illustrate the changes in this jewellery over the course of nearly a century – you’ll be able to date yours based on these examples, and another handy table with 5 things to look for.

The best things in life are free

…and sometimes, that includes books. When you have been following this blog for a while, you know I value accessible knowledge. That is why my courses are not ridiculously priced (well, maybe ridiculously low), and also why I partnered with Sidestone Press for this publication. No matter where you are in the world, you will always be able to read this book online – for free.

To make it even better, I have opted for full open access publication of this book. That means that you get to download the pdf of the book, completely free.

So, as you see, there is literally no sales pitch here: I’m giving you this book as a free pdf.

However… if you are anything like me, and prefer a printed copy: we’ve got those, too. Speaking for myself here, I spend too much time as it is looking at screens, and I am a total book nerd as you know, so I prefer to sit down with a cup of something good and just flip through actual book pages. The printed copies come at a very reasonable price.

The choice is all yours!

(final thought: the blazing artwork on the cover is ‘Red Wind: Fire’ by Salma Ahmad Caller, and that just looks glorious in print. Just saying.)

More about Silver of the Possessed

Silver of the Possessed. Jewellery in the Egyptian zar

By Sigrid van Roode (2024). 212 pages, full-colour, in English. Published by Sidestone Press.

Available with the publisher Check their options for ordering from the UK and USA: this will save you import hassle and shipping costs!

This book is the result of my PhD-research.

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Rather see the book in videos? This mini-course on Egyptian zār jewellery brings you up to speed!

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S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].

The Bedouin Silver Jewellery Blog: Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery, and obtained her PhD at Leiden University on jewellery, informal ritual and collections. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only. Sigrid strongly believes in accessibility of knowledge, and aims to provide reliable and trustworthy content: that’s why the Bedouin Silver blog provides references and citations.

French Hallmarks

French Hallmarks

by | European jewellery, Reviews

A definitive guide

French Hallmarks

Published on March 15, 2024

After the beautiful first volume of French Regional Jewellery, a new book by Michael Fieggen has appeared that is sure to fill a gap in your library! French hallmarks, in detail, with just about everything you’d want to know.

French hallmarks: a practical book

For this book, let’s start at the very end of it: with the indexes. On the last pages you will find indexes of hallmarks, described visually: bees, amphoras, crabs, sphinxes, bulls….even if you have not read a single line in the book, it is immediately of very practical use. Look at the hallmark, identify the shape you see, look it up in the index.

There’s even a chapter with advice on magnifying glasses you’ll need to see the hallmarks: how to buy one, how to use one, and how to properly look at a piece of jewellery. And that’s just the end of the book: there is, of course, so much more!

French hallmarks: a completely new study

This is a book born out of one those ideas that seemed like a really good plan when you first thought of them, and that turn out to lead you straight into another rabbit hole of research. While working on his first book on regional jewellery (see more about it here), the author thought it would be useful to include an overview of hallmarks on jewellery.

When he started looking into them, he soon found that listing an overview of hallmarks was way more complicated than previously thought. Contradicting sources, no sources, erroneously copied marks that continued to be reproduced….there was a lot to tackle. And so, starting from scratch all over again, it took another two years to complete this book.

The result is a study which offers a very detailed overview of platinum, gold and silver hallmarks. It includes hallmarks that have never been published before, and shows a detailed history of hallmarks as they vary over time and per region.

French hallmarks and ethnic jewellery

For jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, I rely on the formidable book World Hallmarks Vol. II by the Hallmark Research Institute. From 1859 to 1967, Algeria used the same hallmarks as those in France – that was because France regarded colonized Algeria as an integral part of their country. The only way to see if a piece of jewellery has been hallmarked in Algeria, is through the mark of the assay office.

The new book by Michael Fieggen includes all those assay offices, not just for Algeria (those are in the World Hallmarks book, too) but also for other regions that were once part of France. Like my own country, The Netherlands: there have been several assay offices located throughout The Netherlands in the early 1800’s.

With the wealth of information in this book, I will be able to date French-marked jewellery all the more precise!

French Hallmarks: a book you’ll need

This book is very well illustrated with clear drawings, schematics and close-up photos. I always find that very helpful, as a stamped mark may look just a little different from the drawing, and seeing them side by side helps in determining what I’m looking at.

It also contains schematics of the placement of hallmarks on different types of jewellery (so you’ll know where to look for it). There is detailed information on import marks, export marks, counterstamps, methods to test for silver and gold content, a bibliography, and a glossary.

And what I really liked, are the small sections with a single anecdote dispersed throughout the book: little bits of additional info that help to understand the hallmarks in their context.

The hardcopy of the book is in French, as you see above in the photo, but for foreign orders an English pdf is available: check the website for more details.

If you are working with French hallmarked jewellery in any capacity, you will greatly benefit from this book!

 

More about French Hallmarks

Les poinçons français des métaux précieux, de 1789 á ce jour.

By Michael C.W. Fieggen (2024). 190 pages, full-colour, available in French (hardcopy) and English (pdf). Published by Michael Fieggen.

Available with the author via this link

The book was gifted as review copy by the author.

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S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.

In Death Lamented

In Death Lamented

by | European jewellery, Reviews

The Tradition of Anglo-American mourning jewelry

In Death Lamented

Updated August 08, 2024

Jewellery serves many more purposes than just being pretty, and that is what I love about it. One of those purposes is to accompany its wearers through major events – like dealing with the death of a loved one. In Death Lamented by Sarah Nehama presents an overview of mourning jewellery in the Anglo-American world.

In Death Lamented: the exhibition and the book

In Death Lamented is the companion volume with the exhibition of the same name, held in 2012 in Massachusetts. And oh, would I have loved to see that! Instead, I am super lucky to now own the book, and I love it. Because, as Sarah writes in her introduction, she approaches this jewellery from a historical perspective – and you know that is what makes me tick, too!

The book showcases the collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society alongside the private collection of Sarah herself. Together, they illustrate the development of mourning jewellery over time.

Mourning jewellery across centuries

In Death Lamented presents an overview of mourning jewellery from the 17th century to the late 19th century. As the title says, its focus is on Anglo-American jewellery, and as such this is the historical perspective as well.

That overview starts out in the 15th and 16th centuries. In this timeframe, jewellery with a memento mori-theme (‘remember you must die’) was created to remind the wearer of their own mortality. Actual mourning jewellery, so in remembrance of a loved one, also existed during this period.

The popularity of mourning jewellery took off when the English King Charles I was executed – mourning his death became an act of resistance among his supporters and jewellery became a secret token of allyship. The book shows a few of these pieces, and describes how these customs crossed the Atlantic to continue to flourish there.

Mourning jewellery in colonial America

The next chapter explores mourning jewellery in 17th and 18th century, mostly in the New World. A completely new practice, at least for me, was handing out mourning rings at funerals – apparently, attending as many funerals as possible and collecting these almost like souvenirs [p. 23] was quite the rage!

This chapter discusses the evolving stylistic elements of mourning jewellery, including the incorporation of hair. That is a topic I particularly love, as hair has very strong personal and ritual capacities in so many cultures. The catalogue with this chapter illustrates those evolving styles: with each piece of jewellery, an elaborate description places the jewel in its cultural context and presents what is known about the persons they commemorate: I loved reading this little personal histories.

Mourning jewellery of the New Republic

The story of mourning jewellery then continues in the late 18th and 19th century. Here, we see the imagery change, reflecting changes in funerary customs as well. [p. 42] I found it fascinating to read how the visual language of the Classical world made an appearance in mourning women, silent urns and weeping willows [p. 42] and how the visual codes changed from skulls and bones to more hopeful symbols.

This transition is also abundantly shown in the catalogue with this part: here as well, personal histories of the persons remembered intertwine with political history. I learned that the death of George Washington spurred another flurry of mourning jewellery, illustrated by a locket holding a few of his hairs.

Mourning jewellery before the Civil War

In the 19th century, archaeological revival styles became fashionable and left their mark on mourning jewellery as well. Increasingly, medieval (notably Gothic) and Etruscan styles became popular. The language of particular materials such as pearls or diamonds was reinforced by the language of flowers, a development I also read about in this book on Lover’s Eyes jewellery.

Following the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria famously went into heavy mourning that set off an entire industry of jet jewellery. This was picked up upon on the other side of the Atlantic as well, and jet and hair jewellery became very, very popular. And of course, there was a new invention that added another layer to the intensity of mourning jewellery: photography.

Mourning jewellery from the Civil War to the end of the 19th century

The book concludes with the surge in mourning jewellery as a result of the Civil War, the death of Prince Albert and the murder of Abraham Lincoln. It also discusses how mourning jewellery came to an end: hairworks became to be perceived as ‘unsanitary’, life circumstances improved in general, and ostentatiously showing loss and grief became less socially acceptable.

In Death Lamented: a wonderful overview of mourning jewellery

It’s safe to say I have learned again a great deal in reading this book. I loved how the author places jewellery against its historical and cultural background and explains how styles evolved, symbolism changed and mourning jewellery continued to take on new meanings. The many photographs are large, clear and very insightful.

The descriptions of the jewellery are also consistent and precise. Especially with objects that carry text, it really helps to know what the original, surviving text is, and where individual letters or numbers have been reconstructed. This, along with the guidelines for measurements given, is explained in the editorial note at the beginning of the book.

This is absolutely a book you will love – whether you’re studying, selling or just are interested in this particular type of jewellery!

More about In Death Lamented

In Death Lamented. The Tradition of Anglo-American Mourning Jewelry. By Sarah Nehama (2012). 128 pages, full-colour, in English. Published by University of Virginia Press.

Available with the publisher and the Massachusetts Historical Society

See more about Sarah’s research on mourning jewellery here!

I purchased the book directly from Sarah.

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Would you like to quote this article? Please do! Here’s how:

S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery, and obtained her PhD at Leiden University on the jewellery of the Egyptian zar-ritual. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.

Sand in my Eyes

Sand in my Eyes

by | Reviews

Sudanese Moments

Sand in my Eyes

Published on Jan 31, 2024

Sharing a book with you that I have treasured for a decade: the beautiful photographs of Sudan and its people by Enikö Nagy. Sand in my Eyes presents a unique portrait of the many peoples living in Sudan.

Sand in my Eyes: the photographs

This book is a visual treasure of Sudanese cultures and their diversity. The photos are colourful, lively and full of movement: beads swinging across a head, dust twirling in a wrestling match, cattle moving.

Others are tranquil: a detail of jewellery, a tasbih or prayer beads hung on a tree, hands clasped in a moment of rest.

There is an incredible number of jewellery and dress sprinkled throughout the book: photos of a silversmith in his workshop, men and women wearing beads, bracelets, necklaces…These images, from various parts of the country, present a colourful impression of dress and adornment in Sudan.

And it’s not just dress and adornment, of course: you will read fortune in a cup, travel with herds across the plains, place your sandals at the entrance of a house, drink from a calabash, join in dance, wrestling, prayer and song. Admiring the photographs will take you on a journey through Sudan that feels both intimate and relatable.

Sand in my Eyes: the wisdom

But this book is more than a collection of photos. With every photograph, a quote has been included. This can be a proverb, lines of a song, a tale that has been passed down through generations. Through these, the soul of its people accompanies the photographs themselves.

As an archaeologist, the saying ‘He who has nothing old has nothing new’ (p. 241) resonated with me – but there are many more gems like this!

It is these fables, legends, rituals, poems and other texts bring the depth of Sudan’s cultural heritage across, and that is why this is one of my treasured books: nothing brings you closer to people than learning what they think, believe, wish and dream.

Sand in my Eyes: a portrait of Sudan

This book is a beautiful portrait of Sudan. It contains vibrant photographs of people from over 45 tribes and brings you their thoughts, hopes, fears and wisdom. The texts are both in English and Arabic.

The book is structured in five parts, following the five daily prayers that guide the rhythm of life for these communities. And much to my joy, it contains extensive notes and references, so you will be able to understand the texts in their cultural context – and read more! Especially in these days, seeing the beauty of Sudan and learning about its people helps us feel connected to the many people suffering as a result of war.

I love this book, and I think you will, too!

Sand in my Eyes. Sudanese Moments. By Enikö Nagy (2014). 800 pages, full-colour, in English and Arabic.

Available  with the author on the project website.

I purchased the book a decade ago.

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S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.

Traditional French jewellery

Traditional French jewellery

by | European jewellery, Reviews

Rural jewels of 18th and 19th century France

French Regional Jewellery

Published on Jan 24, 2024

Apart from traditional jewellery from North Africa and the Middle East, I am also very interested in European traditional jewellery. And I love books! So when I came across Traditional French Jewellery in the bookshop of the MAD in Paris, it took me all of 2 seconds flipping through its pages to decide this was a must-have. Let me tell you why.

French regional jewellery: the website

This book does not appear out of thin air. The author, Michael Fieggen, set out to research traditional jewellery from all regions of France almost 30 years ago. Those decades of research were aimed at providing a reliable reference work on French jewellery. A reference work is obviously useless when you can’t refer to it, so Michael created a wonderful website back in 2010. You’ll find it here.

This is one of the things I absolutely love: sharing one’s knowledge with whomever wants to learn. It’s all there, sorted regionally and thematically, with an abundance of jewellery examples.

But even more wonderful, at least in my view, is that collectors of jewellery wanted to have an actual, tangible book [p. 5]. It makes me so happy that books are not dead, and that there are people who actually want to read them! Especially when it is a book as lavish as this one.

French regional jewellery: the book

The main body of this book is composed of chapters devoted to the regions of France and their jewellery. And wow, what stunning jewellery this is!

Each region is represented by numerous pieces of jewellery, and I really appreciate seeing various executions within one single type. There are jewels in silver and gold, but also glass, beads, ivory, fabrics, enameling, early celluloid…The range of jewellery is huge: you’ll find earrings, necklaces, pendants, rings and bracelets, but also clasps, hooks, pins, buttons, belt hooks, and much more.

The research behind it is extensive. Just one example is on p. 103, where a postcard image of a young woman wearing a Narbonne cross in a particular fashion is shown. The caption calls out attention the fact that it is not known if this was indeed how it was supposed to be worn, or that this is staged by the publisher issuing the postcard.

This level of source criticism is seen throughout the book. It makes one read the information presented with confidence. And that is enhanced by the references throughout. The reference numbers indicate the corresponding number in the bibliography (so there is no separate section with notes – but this works well, too).

French regional jewellery: the details

This book has been painstakingly compiled, with a lot of attention to details. For example, all the images in the book are at their actual size, except rings: those have been enlarged to 150 to 200% [p. 11]. That is incredibly useful, eliminates the guessing game of how large something actually is, and makes for stunning illustrations throughout.

Those photographs are simply gorgeous. They are crisp, clear, and every single piece has been cut out and placed against the white of the page. Enlargements of jewels bleeding off the page make for a playful touch every now and then. Where possible, enlargements of the hallmarks have been added in small insets next to a jewel.

Besides jewellery images, you will find plenty of other reference material. Old photos, paintings and drawings of people wearing jewellery, old illustrations from jewellery catalogues, a poem from 1887…there is so much information strewn across these pages.

French regional jewellery: and there is more!

But that’s not all! The book also contains a detailed overview of French hallmarks (seriously, it’s clear to see this is 3 decades of work right here), and every single illustration is included in a detailed list of illustrations. That list gives you details of each piece of jewellery such as its dimensions (to complement the image itself, which is already true to size, as I mentioned), weight and hallmark (if any), but also its provenance.

There is an extensive bibliography, a glossary (just in case you are a little rusty in French, as I am – this is a fantastic overview of terms), and my favourite: a rapid guide for identifying regional crosses. France being France, there are a lot of different types of crosses, and these are all sorted for you in this chapter.

This is truly an amazing reference book for French regional jewellery. It also sets a high standard for future reference works: its clarity of illustration and level of detail and variety is super helpful. It will make you fall in love with French rural jewellery, as this book absolutely presents it as the treasure it is.

And there is more to come…! The author wrote me and mentioned he’s currently writing the second volume of traditional French jewellery that is not regional in origin (honestly, I cannot wait). This will explore the jewellery associated with life transitions and events such as baptism, marriage etc. And….there’s a complete book on French hallmarks scheduled to appear very, very soon!

Long story short: if you are collecting European regional jewellery or working with European regional jewellery in any capacity, you really will want to own this book.

More about Traditional French Jewellery

Traditional French Jewellery. Volume 1. Regional jewellery: treasured witnesses of rural life in the 18th and 19th century. By Michael C.W. Fieggen (2021). 304 pages, full-colour, available in French and English. Published by Michael Fieggen

Available with the author via this link, where you will also find details on his upcoming book on hallmarks

I purchased the book in the museum shop of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris.

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Would you like to quote this article? Please do! Here’s how:

S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.

Parfums d’Orient: book

Parfums d’Orient: book

by | Reviews

Institut du Monde Arabe

Parfums d’Orient: the catalogue

Published on Jan 8, 2024

The wonderful exhibition Parfums d’Orient, in the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, came with its very own publication. The book, too, is called Parfums d’Orient, and it is as beautiful as the exhibition itself.

Ancient stone incense burner from the Arab Peninsula

Parfums d’Orient: the catalogue

The book presents 26 essays by renowned authors. The essays are grouped into four main parts: natural resources for perfumes, the art of perfuming oneself, fragrance and the invisible world, and fragrance in and around the house. As such, the catalogue follows the design of the exhibition and paints a complete picture of the world of fragrance.

The book starts out with an introduction of fragrance. How does it affect our mood? Why is it important to have around us? And how does our sense of smell actually work? A series of essays sets the scene to understand the role of fragrance in our personal lives, and the cultural interconnectivity that perfumes from the Middle East represent.

Parfums d’Orient: the bounty of nature

The first essays are devoted to ingredients and perfume history. I enjoyed the beautifully illustrated essays on Damascene rose, oud, ambergris and musk. The historical background explains how scented paths crossed, resulting in the familiar fragrances of today, while the essay on the perfumer’s art sheds light on both the past and the future of perfuming.

Parfums d’Orient: perfuming oneself

The second part explores the realm of science and history. Here, we learn of medieval manuscripts with perfume recipes, the trade in incense and the beautifully designed perfume flasks. An exploration into the bath house reveals the use of fragrance in relation to health and well-being.

I really liked the personal point of view on perfuming in the essay on perfume and art: imagine, indeed, losing your sense of smell as a result of the pandemic. Suddenly, the world becomes one-dimensional and plain; fragrance is of greater importance than we might think.

Parfums d’Orient: fragrance and the invisible world

Now this is one of my favourite angles, and if you have taken my course Scents of the Middle East, you’ll have seen why! Fragrance itself is like an invisible power that may affect our happiness and sense of wellbeing. This part of the catalogue addresses that supernatural capacity of scent throughout the ages.

Ancient Egypt, early Christianity and Judaism as well as Islam have their own spiritual connotations with fragrance, and these are explored in separate essays. The special essay on fumigations and magic is short, but fascinating!

Parfums d’Orient: perfume in and around the house

And this is where the jewellery is….! Scented paste and fragrant beads are shown in relation to the intimacy of marriage, adding yet another layer to the meanings perfume may carry. That extends to perfuming one’s guests and spicing dishes, both of which are discussed, too.

Parfums d’Orient: art, research, history, science

The catalogue is beautifully illustrated, showing you everything from ancient artefacts to modern art, from sweeping landscape views to medieval manuscripts. What I really loved about this book is that it seamlessly integrates the historical and cultural background of fragrance with art and lived experiences. As such, it really conveys the importance of the senses for our everyday existence. Fragrance is part and parcel of every aspect of life, and the exhibition catalogue absolutely brings that point across.

Parfums d’Orient. By Hanna Boghanim and Agnes Carayon (eds) (2023). 223 pages, full-colour, in French. Published by Institut du Monde Arabe/Skira.

Available with the publisher and in the museum shop of the Institut du Monde Arabe.

I purchased the book in the museum shop of the Institut du Monde Arabe upon my visit of the exhibition.

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Explore the world of fragrance in the course Scents of the Middle East!

More posts on exhibitions and museums? Browse them all here!

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Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.