Engraved Gems

Engraved Gems

by | Ancient jewellery, European jewellery, Reviews

the guy ladriere collection

Engraved Gems

One of the most elusive forms of adornment from Antiquity are engraved gems. They existed in large numbers and many have survived to this day, but as these were eminently portable objects, they often lack context. Stones were taken out of rings and pendants to be fashioned into another jewel, and endless cycle that continues until today. By studying engraved gems carefully however, there is a lot to be learned about the world they come from. L’École, School of Jewelry Arts, exhibited a large private collection in 2022, accompanied by the book Engraved Gems. Cameos, Intaglios and Rings from the Guy Ladrière Collection.

 

Engraved Gems

Roman ring with inscription, cat. no. 306

This large and beautifully designed book starts out with an interview with the collector himself. The choices and preferences of the collector are a most important element of any collection, as they are imperative to our understanding what the collection represents. Where the major and important collection of cameos by Derek Content for example was built specifically to be representative and show the full range of quality found across the Empire [1], in the interview with Guy Ladrière we learn that his choices were based on beauty and personal preferences. That results in a different selection, and I enjoyed the passion shining through in the interview: many collectors will relate to his anecdotes of having, holding, missing out on, and wearing.

The first chapter takes us along in the world of words: what exactly is the difference between cameo and intaglio again, how were they created and from which stones? The treaty on terminology used for a variety of gemstones is particularly useful as it presents an overview of the convoluted history of these terms, and clearly states which terms will be used throughout the book. Now as terminology is notoriously complicated, I’m sure gemmology experts will have their own opinion of these choices, but specifying what is meant by ‘agate’, ‘carnelian’ etc. in the present volume does provide clarity for the understanding of the contents.

One thing that struck me as odd in this chapter is the statement, regarding garnets, that the trade routes to the East disappeared in the early Middle Ages, and so garnets were collected from Bohemia and Portugal. (p. 31). Research has shown that these trade routes did not disappear completely. Garnets in early medieval jewellery from various locations across The Netherlands have been examined in 2011. The results were fascinating: most of the garnets in these jewellery pieces came from India and Pakistan, and a single piece of jewellery could even contain garnets from several geographic locations. [2] It would be certainly interesting to examine why Portuguese and Bohemian garnets were preferred for engraved gems in this period!

Next, we dive into the collection itself. This is presented largely chronologically. Themes recur in several chapters, and where necessary, younger gems are discussed in the same chapter as older ones when it serves the theme at hand. The chapter ‘From the Phoenicians to the Sassanids: a brief history of glyptic art’ does not actually provide a brief history of glyptic art, because the earliest forms of seals like those from Mesopotamia and Egypt are not represented in the collection. What you will find here is an essay on how pre-Classical forms found their way into later pieces, such as the Egyptian scarab. This Classical-centered point of view is also present in the description of Sassanid glyptic art, of which is stated that they ‘…raised it to levels sometimes equal to the most beautiful Greek engravings’. (p. 46) Sassanid seals do obviously reflect the Hellenistic history of the region under Alexander the Great and his successors, but also draw upon older regional forms. [3] This approach tells us a little more about the collection itself: it has been compiled with loving eye for beauty, and notably Classical beauty.

Before continuing into the Classical world, the choices made by engravers in using the properties of stones, such as material and colour, are explored. Here, we see several examples of cameos created by employing the natural properties of a stone to their fullest advantage. The diachronic composition of the collection provides splendid examples of cameos from multiple timeframes, and it is interesting to see how new forms of playing with colour and structure continue to emerge through time. Intaglios as well have on occasion been selected for their colour, notably when it comes to magical gems: the present chapter mainly deals with cameos, and a later chapter in the book presents protective gems.

Graeco-Roman Egypt is represented with several beautiful cameos, of which a sardonyx piece with three superimposed portraits of Ptolemaic rulers is a remarkable piece. The discussion in this chapter highlights the pluriform culture of Graeco-Roman Egypt, where Egyptian, Greek and Roman gods merged into new deities and foreign rulers identified themselves with Egyptian gods and goddesses. Roman emperors, Alexander the Great and Medusa are presented in the next chapters in both antique and more modern gems. As classical Antiquity continued to fascinate in later centuries, these portraits were popular in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries as well. A noteworthy chapter is that on replicas, pastiches and copies: here, we learn about the blurred lines between original and reproduction. The detective work involved in tracing the original or model for a later reproduction reveals a little of the larger world behind these miniature masterpieces. Original pieces from Antiquity, but also paintings and prints served as blueprint for carved gems.

Apart from individual carved stones, the collection also holds many rings. We see a selection of these in the chapter in icons, rings and seals in the Byzantine Empire, as well as in the chapter on two thousand years of rings. Both show absolutely stunning examples of rings, which are discussed in depth in the accompanying texts. The ring theme continues with a chapter on protective gems, which were often worn set in a ring, and a chapter on the very personal nature of engraved gems. Notably rings were gifted as personal jewellery, and may contain inscriptions that wished the wearer well or spoke of love. An example in the collection is catalogue nr. 306, a Roman ring, which carries a cameo inscription (see image included above). Of this, the author writes that it is ‘not very legible here, but speaks of sweetness (dulcis, suavis)’ (p. 170). I would propose the reading ‘dulcis vita’ – a sweet life. The thing with these particular texts is that the composition pays more attention to the even display of individual letters than to how we would separate words. Add to that that the execution of the letters themselves is crude, and they do indeed become difficult to read. Here, the division of letters over the gem is 2 sets of 2 letters on each long side, and 1 letter on both short ends. The spelling, starting from the upper right corner and reading counterclockwise, would thus seem to be DU-LC-I-SV-IT-A, wishing the wearer a sweet life. [4]

The journey through time continues with gems from the Renaissance, the 17th century and Neoclassicism. Individual artists, the significance and meaning of forms and the echoes of Antiquity are all discussed and placed into context.

Each chapter in this book is well referenced and as such provides an excellent starting point for further research. The references contain not only relevant literature, but also parallels: an absolute necessity and an invitation to explore further. In that respect, I was however surprised to see the collection mentioned above, of the Content cameos, missing from the bibliography. The photography is beautiful, and I really appreciated how much space is allocated for images: rings are shown from several angles and cameos from different perspectives so as to take in as many details as possible. The structure and organization of this volume are also wonderfully clear: each image in the main chapters refers to a catalogue entry. The full collection is included in the last section of the book, where details of each piece are provided, referring back to the discussion in the main text.

This is a beautiful book that illustrates the long history of engraved gems from the Classical period and their reception, imitation and emulation in later times. It contains a massive amount of information that is well written and easy to digest: I have learned quite a few things while reading this book. As substantial private collections of engraved gems are rare, this book is a valuable addition to the shelf of any researcher and a beautiful introduction into the world of gems from past to present for the interested reader.

Engraved Gems. Cameos, Intaglios and Rings from the Guy Ladrière Collection. By Philippe Malgoures, Mare & Martin/L’Ecole, School of Jewelry Arts 2022.

304 pages, full-colour, in English. Available through the publisher

The book was received as review copy by the publisher.

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References

[1] Henig, M. and H. Molesworth 2018. The Complete Content Cameos, Brepols, Brussels, p. 7

[2] Willemsen, A. 2014. Gouden Middeleeuwen. Nederland in de Merovingische wereld, ca 400 – 700 na Chr. Walburg Pers, Zutphen, p. 150-151

[3] Gyselen, R. 1997. L’Art Sigillaire Sassanide dans les collections de Leyde, National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden, p. xviii, or see Gyselen, R. 2017. Sasanian seals: owners and reusers, in: Bercken, B.J.L. van den and V.C.P. Baan (eds), 2017. Engraved Gems. From Antiquity to the Present, Sidestone Press, Leiden pp. 85-92 for an iconographic discussion of their owners’ identification

[4] See a comparable crudely executed gem from Nijmegen, with a similar pattern of 1-2-2-1-2-2 letters that reads SI VIS VIVAM presented in Van Roode, S. 2019. Geheimen uit Gelderse Bodem. 10.000 jaar archeologische sieraden. Blikveld Uitgevers, Zandvoort, p. 50-51

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. She considers jewellery heritage and a historic source. She has authored several books on jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, and on archaeological jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the Society of Jewellery Historians, the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden and the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, among many others. She curates exhibitions and teaches online courses on jewellery from North Africa & Southwest Asia.

Beautiful Bodies

Beautiful Bodies

by | Reviews

gender and corporeal aesthetic in the past

Beautiful Bodies

Body aesthetic is increasingly understood as much more than just ornamentation. How we treat our bodies, dress our hair, inscribe our skin, apply make-up and fragrance as well as how we clothe and adorn ourselves is highly informative about how we see ourselves and how we would like others to see us. But how to approach this sense of self for past societies? Beautiful Bodies explores how archaeological studies may shed light on both beauty and gender, two highly discussed topics.

Beautiful Bodies is a series of articles resulting from a conference session on the same topic. As such, this is an academic read, that will bring you up to speed with current theory and thought about the relation of gender and body aesthetic, explored through archaeological material. Archaeology uses things and how they were found to attempt to explore the past, and this is also very applicable to grasping past notions of concepts like beauty and gender. Because, as the editor Uros Matic explains in the introduction, ‘beauty’ is achieved by doing something: putting your hair up in a certain way, applying make-up, wearing a certain outfit. For doing, you will need materials and tools, and those are what archaeologists ultimately find. The introductory chapter, like the last chapter, serves to provide context for the case studies in this book, and as such covers a few basics. It goes over how the social construct of ‘beauty’ is inevitably indicative of a class society, how it may be achieved in gendered spaces or through gendered acts, and how it can lead to racism and excluding: whoever does not conform to socially accepted beauty standards is often an outsider, and that sadly still holds true today.

The nine chapters that follow are in chronological order, starting out with an examination of aesthetic leadership by Queen Puabi in ancient Mesopotamia. Its author Helga Vogel considers not only the materials and colours of her jewellery and dress, but also their weight, as presented by Kim Benzel in her PhD-thesis. That weight (imagine up to 4 kg of jewellery) might have had ‘a significant impact on the physical embodiment of queenhood and her self-perception of being queen’. (p. 38) There is much to ponder about Puabi’s physical appearance and the significance attributed to her dress and adornment, which reminded me of the essay by Josephine Verduci in the Routledge Handbook of the Senses of the Ancient Near East: she points out how ‘multiple modes of experience can be working in unison’ (p. 137), and I imagine the sensory overload of Queen Puabi’s presence to do just that.

Pharaonic Egypt is presented in two chapters. Uros Matic considers how grooming activities for men were carried out in public places, for all to see, while women seem to have preferred their body-care to be carried out in private. While that points to a gender system behind beauty treatments (p. 62) and the use of gendered spaces, it got me thinking about what else this gender-defined time was used for: grooming, obviously, but how did that activity set the scene for others? What did women talk about in private, what was the point of men grooming in public? Could a point be made that female grooming acts might not just be beautification, but constituted a transformation, a rite de passage of sorts in themselves? His observation that Egyptology tends to create an image of ancient Egypt, populated by beautiful people (p. 58) is particularly noteworthy, as this adds another layer to our view of gender and beauty in the past: our own filters. The next chapter by Kira Zumkley focuses on a mystery grooming tool found in burials of both men and women, in elaborate and simpler contexts. She proposes this to be a tool for wig maintenance, and that is fascinating to me in relation to recent research on hair in ancient Egypt: excavations in Amarna have revealed the dressing of the hair of the dead by means of extensions and with head cones. Could bringing such a tool along with you have a particular agency in the context of an afterlife?

Hairstyles also are discussed in the chapter on the Aegean, where Filip Frankovic demonstrates that during the Bronze Age, social affiliation was based on age, before it shifted to gender: changes in hairstyle reveal a changing self-perception. Another layer of identification is explored for ancient Athens by Isabelle Algrain, which I found to be intriguing. Besides heteronormativity, she argues, politonormativity was a determining factor: status associated with male or female values mattered first and foremost in the context of citizenship (p. 173). Here, society defines who we are, before gender does.

Wanting to belong to a different social group is reflected in the use of mirrors, found in burials in the Roman province of Moesia Superior. Vladimir Mihajlovic argues that mirrors have been found with both male and female individuals, who were not necessarily Roman citizens. In self-fashioning themselves as such though, they attempted to perform their desired status into being: an ancient equivalent of ‘fake it ‘till you make it’. Exactly the opposite seems to have been the case in Viking-age Scandinavia. Bo Jensen makes the interesting point that ‘beauty’ was not something to achieve or generate: beauty was something everyone apparently possessed as long as there were no flaws, such as scars or marks. The last chapter deals with beauty ideals in Qajar Iran, where Maryam Dezkhamkooy takes us through the varying beauty ideals from genderless beauty to notably gender-differentiated preferences: an enriching read.

Beautiful Bodies is an exploration in both objects and ideas in the context of past gender norms. Not all chapters include all elements, but this entire book provides plenty of food for thought on how we might approach the past by carefully going over some of the most personal objects that have survived: those with which we create who we are and that in turn shape our world. It will get you thinking about how fashioning the self is related to the gendered structures of any given society, sometimes even shaping those, to manifesting our wishes and aspirations, and even to creating a particular afterlife – definitely a recommended read!

Beautiful Bodies. Gender and Corporeal Aesthetics in the Past. by Uros Matic (ed). Oxbow Books, 2022

305 pages, with B/W illustrations, in English. Available with the publisher and online.

The book was received as review copy by the publisher.

More books on personal adornment, jewellery & archaeology? See my picks for you here, or join the Jewellery List to get new book tips in your inbox. You could also dive right in and take the e-course on 5,000 years of jewellery: bringing the past to life on your screen!

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. She considers jewellery heritage and a historic source. She has authored several books on jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, and on archaeological jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the Society of Jewellery Historians, the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden and the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, among many others. She curates exhibitions and teaches online courses on jewellery from North Africa & Southwest Asia.

Gold of the Great Steppe

Gold of the Great Steppe

by | Ancient jewellery, Reviews

The Saka Scythians in Kazakhstan

Gold of the Great Steppe

A glimpse into the world of the Saka Scythians through the results of very recent excavations is the topic of the exhibition Gold of the Great Steppe in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. The accompanying publication shows the splendor of Scythian gold ornaments in great detail, combined with the challenges and possibilities of ongoing archaeological research in East Kazakhstan.

Scythian gold is world-famous: several previous exhibitions have had visitors marvel at the craft and skill of Scythian artists. This particular exhibition and publication zoom in on the Saka, one of the peoples that we know under the umbrella name of ‘Scythians’, in eastern Kazakhstan. What is remarkable about the publication is that it has been compiled while research is ongoing: some of the finds presented have been excavated as recently as 2020. The archaeological context is presented alongside the gold from which the book gets its title. Gold of the Great Steppe is not just a catchy title to draw your attention: this book is literally crammed with images of stunning gold pieces, many of which are published for the first time here. Earrings, necklaces, headdresses, horse equipment, dress ornaments, weaponry…all executed with the flowing lines, crisp granulation and masterful decoration that the Saka are famous for. But what makes this book stand out, is the presentation within the archaeological context in which they have been retrieved – it’s like following the archaeologists closely, seeing what they are seeing.

That view starts with the large burial mounds, or kurgans, that dot the steppe landscape. As in many civilizations, where people bury their dead is both highly significant as well as a territorial marker that announces the ties of a particular people to their land. After the introductory chapter on the project itself, the second chapter of the book starts out with a brief presentation of Saka culture in the Altai Mountain range (the Kazakh part of the Altai), in which a brief history is outlined along with written sources and the part archaeological research plays in reconstructing this history. On a side note, the written sources, such as Herodotus and Achaemenid texts, are presented and throughout the book cited without discussion of their cultural bias. The presentation of petroglyphs on the other hand is absolutely enriching for our understanding of the visual language of the Saka, as several of the forms in rock art return in the gold ornaments found in the kurgans. I also enjoyed that a few settlements are included, too: much of our knowledge about the Saka stems from their funerary monuments, and so learning more about their settlements further widens our view, however brief these paragraphs are. The chapter then continues with an in-depth discussion of these funerary monuments. Individual kurgans and the finds encountered are presented, along with excavation photographs, drawings and schematics. The gold artefacts shown in this chapter are not only stunning to behold, but gain in meaning because their context is given as well. At the end of the chapter, a culture emerges that combines mythologies and world views from across the continent, attached great value to horses and combined these two values in a strong visual expression.

The next chapter zooms in on a large kurgan and its contents: kurgan 4 in Eleke Sazy. Meticulous research of this burial leads to the assumption that it might be here that the early Saka culture reached its formative stage, forming the starting point for further developments of Saka culture. Due to the careful and methodical excavation, a reconstruction has been made of its occupant: a young archer, dressed in clothing embellished with gold and wearing several pieces of gold weaponry. Here again, the photography and detailed description of the finds provide the reader with a unique viewpoint, looking over the shoulder of Kazakh archaeologists as they work.

The second half of the book zooms out, from the individual finds and their historic context, to thematic subjects: funerary customs, horse-human relations and gold working. The chapter on funerary customs is absolutely fascinating from both an archaeological and ethnographic perspective. Although I personally feel that drawing a direct parallel between living cultures and archaeological finds that are substantially older is hazardous (and as if reading my mind, the author of this chapter starts out by addressing that exact point!), I have learned a great deal about traditional funerary customs, that do provide food for thought on how we might understand the physical remnants encountered in archaeological research. The chapter on horse-human relations examines how horses were buried in the kurgans: not only where and with what equipment, but also which type of horse. Horses, like humans, have been buried with elaborate trappings and with great care. Interestingly, their ears in some cases have been clipped to mimick the undulating forms of mythological animals in Scythian gold ornaments – another benefit of the excellent conservation circumstances of the Kazakh steppe is that organic material is well preserved. How the gold ornaments, that inspired this exhibition, were made, is the central theme of the last chapter. Here, we see traditional methods of observation combined with chemical analyses, identifying where the gold came from and how it was worked into the fabulous adornments illustrated throughout the book.

As this book presents ongoing research, it does come with a few challenges. The finds themselves for example are so recent that a contextual analysis, placing the Saka within the wider Scythian cultural realm, has not yet been made – the Saka are presented within Kazakhstan only. There is a slight imbalance between the descriptive nature of the text and the interpretations given, likely because the authors are specialists in their fields and connect proverbial dots based on their extensive knowledge. For the reader however, it is sometimes not as clear cut on what grounds conclusions pertaining to mythological or ritualistic assumptions have been drawn.

A very strong point of the book is in its illustrations. For starters, the photographs of the gold ornaments are many and beautiful, allowing the reader to admire them in detail. Sweeping views of the landscape help build an understanding of the natural environment of the Saka, while excavation photographs present finds in their original context, and in doing so convey the amount of work needed in conservation and restoration of individual finds. Maps and schematics aid our understanding of what we are looking at, while reconstruction drawings bring the picture of the past full circle.

All in all, this is not just an art historian book about gold jewellery. This book showcases the possibility encapsulated in ornaments to function as historic sources, if they are studied in and together with their original context.  A single ornament, looted and deprived of its context, loses its voice as carrier of information about the past, and the authors of this book have gone through great lengths to illustrate what information can be derived from ornaments. The archaeologists in Kazakhstan battle looting, time constraints and global warming in their everyday work, while also painstakingly studying material culture to increase our insights into the culture of the Saka steppe nomads. Gold of the Great Steppe book offers a wonderful view into Saka culture, the rich heritage of Kazakhstan, and the hard work of its archaeologists.

Gold of the Great Steppe, by Rebecca Roberts (ed). Paul Holberton Publishing, 2021.

170 pp, full-colour, in English. Available with the publisher and online.

Available with the publisher and online.

The book was gifted as review copy by the publisher.

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Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. She considers jewellery heritage and a historic source. She has authored several books on jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, and on archaeological jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the Society of Jewellery Historians, the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden and the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, among many others. She curates exhibitions and teaches online courses on jewellery from North Africa & Southwest Asia.

East meets West

East meets West

by | Reviews

The Crusades and the age of decolonization

East meets West

The Macquarie University History Museum has curated a small publication on the occasion of its opening, titled East meets West. The inside cover text provides the goal of this book: ‘East meets West seeks to illuminate the complex intersection of western and eastern culture and civilization in the Eastern Mediterranean during the period of the Crusades through the study of Byzantine and Mamluk Egyptian artworks and illuminated manuscripts.’ That is a tall order, and although the book indeed presents beautiful artworks, its concise size prohibits it from truly exploring the complexity of these cultural interrelations and their continued ripple effects in today’s world.

The introductory chapter and the following chapter on medieval Western understanding of the Islamic world briefly outline the complexity of the Middle Ages both in terms of historic events as well as in later perception. In the introduction it becomes clear that the ‘Age of Decolonisation’ in the title of the book refers to the period after the last Crusade, the 14th century, not to our own timeframe. I could not help but wonder if ‘decolonization’ is the right term to describe the nature of this period, especially when ‘the West’s failure to develop a balanced view on the Crusades’ is given as a reason for a lasting legacy that continues to this very day (p. 10). It is precisely this last part that leaves me wondering: this lasting legacy is alluded to, but never explored further.

A chapter on the Byzantine world introduces how this era connects both the Roman past and the rise of Christianity in the West with the Islamic world. Here, the connection on the Roman and Christian end is emphasized more than the overlap with the Islamic world, although of course the Eastern Orthodox church of today finds its roots in the Byzantine world.  The book then presents four short chapters on material culture that showcase the connection between the European and Arab worlds. The chapter on Mamluk building in Cairo explores the interconnectedness of Islamic and Christian worlds through architecture. Starting with a brief introduction on the Mamluks themselves, who have their origins in both Christian/Eurasian cultures and slavery, the chapter discusses the reuse of building materials in Mamluk architecture – not just Pharaonic blocks, but also material taken from Christian buildings in Syria and Palestine. Vice versa, the inspiration of Syrian church towers for minarets is a great example of cross-cultural exchange. I found this a fascinating topic, as it touches upon practical as well as ideological reasons for cross-cultural reuse.

Next is a brief introduction in the technique of sgrafitto-ware, that was originally developed in the Roman era and passed on to the Islamic world through the Byzantine Empire. The last two chapters present written works: illuminated Book of Hours manuscripts and Islamic calligraphy. Surprisingly, although these chapters sit back-to-back, they are not connected. Both chapters present beautiful examples and an absolutely interesting introduction into the prayers books and calligraphy, but neither refers to the other or places the works presented in the context of mixed artforms that resulted from the interaction between the Islamic and Christian world, such as banderoles with (pseudo)Arabic calligraphy in medieval Christian paintings, or the oriental rugs on the painting of the Annunciation as mentioned in the introduction (p. 13)

The complex, shared history of the European and the Arab world is addressed again in the last chapter of the book. Here, the ‘east-west’-divide is explored through the lens of Australia’s own colonial past and the Middle Ages are redefined as an era of interconnectedness, instead of incidental encounters. This is an important chapter as it delves into how these collections were acquired, and what factors are to be taken into account when studying them: as collected objects are inevitably based on a selection, this layer needs to be peeled off before any assumptions about the objects themselves can be made and this chapter deals with that given in great clarity.

The perspective of the book is one I find truly important: the interconnectedness of two worlds that are too often portrayed as separate planets, the colonialism of the Christian and Islamic worlds in the Middle Ages, and the resulting cultural exchange. Exploring that interconnectedness through material culture is an excellent starting point, although an argument could be made that the title East meets West in all its simplicity in turn belies this interconnectivity. Returning to the inside cover however, I found that one intriguing aspect mentioned here is missing from the book itself: ‘…the impact of the divide between East and West is still evident today. The Crusades changed the world forever.’ This ripple effect of the Crusades in today’s world is alluded to again for example in the last lines of the foreword. Here, we read that ‘although history itself is not repeated, patterns of history are. The violent escalations which erupted in East Jerusalem between the government of Israel and Hamas in May 2021 tragically follow such a pattern’ (p.8). Which pattern, and how that we should place that in the context of the relation between the Christian and Islamic world in the Middle Ages and afterwards is not elaborated upon.

All chapters in the book are illustrated with stunning artworks, expertly photographed and a joy to see – Byzantine glass bracelets and gold ornaments, intricate calligraphy and illumination, views of architectural details, coins, bowls and more offer us a glimpse of the Macquarie University History Museum’s rich collections. What East meets West offers is a beautifully illustrated window into the Macquarie University History Museum collections, while its concise texts provide an introduction into, as well as food for thought on, medieval material culture in the Eastern Mediterranean.

East meets West. The Crusades and the Age of Decolonization, by Martin Bommas (ed). Giles Art Books, 2021. 72 pp, full-colour, in English.

Available with the publisher Giles Art Books and online.

The book was gifted as a advance reading copy by the publisher.

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Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. She considers jewellery heritage and a historic source. She has authored several books on jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, and on archaeological jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the Society of Jewellery Historians, the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden and the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, among many others. She curates exhibitions and teaches online courses on jewellery from North Africa & Southwest Asia.

Adorned by Nature

Adorned by Nature

by | Reviews

Adornment of the South Seas

Adorned by Nature

Amidst all the glitter of metals, glass and (semi)precious stones, it’s easy to overlook the perishable materials that have been used in adornment for millennia. Organic material rarely survives in the archaeological record, and when it does, it has lost its colour, fragrance, texture and sound. Seeing the splendour of such pieces in all their vividness is one of the many reasons I love adornment from the vast realm of Oceania, and so when I learned of the Adorned by Nature book project by Wolfgang Grulke, I was all too happy to jump aboard and pre-order a copy.

This heavy, full colour book is an excellent introduction into the material culture of the South Seas. The perspective of the book is that of collecting and collections, and the history of collecting is woven into every chapter and theme. This approach also highlights the interaction between creators and collectors, an aspect that is not often illustrated with this clarity in other books on adornment from the South Seas. Just one example is the short discussion on fossils used in adornment on Papua New Guinea, where the development of ornaments from simple containers to elaborate pieces is described as a consequence of dealership (p. 173). Throughout the book, you will find 19th century collections, notes, and photographs alongside modern pieces and photos – the history of adornment in the South Seas is ongoing and the book showcases these transitions. This is one of the aspects I liked the most about this book, its appreciation of change. Instead of presenting adornment ‘as it should be’, the author places adornment in a context of perpetual development and adaptation.

The book is divided into 4 main chapters. An introductory chapter on the South Seas presents origin stories and other myths as well as aspects of society and rituals from various cultures throughout this geographical area, as well as the history of collecting of adornment. The maps on the inside of the cover are just stunning in their 3D-rendering of the ocean floor and land mass in the curve of the globe: much more than a traditional map, this view is a great visual aid in understanding the spatial vastness of the area presented.

The next 3 chapters are constructed like an encyclopedia or a bundle of essays. Within each chapter, short illustrated texts zoom in on one particular type of material, object or tradition. A very strong point of the book is its use of images: these do not merely illustrate the text, but form an indispensable component of the narrative. The entire book is a visual delight and the illustrations further our understanding of adornment beyond the text itself. It is immensely helpful to not just read about cassowary bones and claws, but to see the creature itself, to see how a Papua spoon is carved out of a shell, to understand which plants, beetles and seeds are used and how these are grown, harvested and traded. I especially liked the part on ‘artificialia’ – non-natural elements that were incorporated in existing traditions, such as chinaware saucers used in kap-kap’s, porcelain imitations of dog teeth and Reckitt Blue facial paint. In these incorporations, we see cultural interaction and its consequences.

Trade, cultural exchange, rituals and traditions are addressed in the last two chapters of the book. Starting out from pieces of adornment again, we learn of brideprice and showing of wealth, the distribution of motifs and materials across long distances and the importance of objects as carriers of personal value. Finally, a postscript acknowledges the perspective of collecting once again, as the viewpoint from a cultural outsider. The personal approach of the author is clearly worded as well as his desire to give back to the community whose material culture he collects and presents in this not-for-profit book.

The value of this book is not so much in its theoretical underpinnings, as these are few and brief, nor in a desire to be ‘complete’. What you will absolutely love this book for is its wide and kaleidoscopic approach combined with its strong visuals. The collection of numerous short essays is an excellent starting point to explore adornment from the South Seas. The author unlocks the world of adornment in bite-sized nuggets of information that are easily digested and understood, all the while containing a plethora of details. The photographs, drawings and diagrams are fantastic and will certainly have you immersed in this vast world of water and islands for hours on end. There is just so much to see in these pages!

If you are just starting out as a collector, this book offers a delightful first introduction to the length and width of material culture of the South Seas. If you are a seasoned collector, this book will line up details at a glance and offer a starting point for more exploration. For this, you are referred to the accompanying website: the book itself has no references or bibliography. And finally, the very last line of the book entertains the thought of a second volume… I am looking forward to it already!

Adorned by Nature. Adornment, myth and exchange in the South Seas, by Wolfgang Grulke.

355 pp, full-colour, in English. Available with the publisher At One (see also many sample pages on the website!) and online.

The book was purchased during the fundraiser for publication.

More books on personal adornment? Browse dozens of titles here.

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On a personal note: drawing a comparison between archaeological jewellery of organic material that has not survived and current-day societies that create such adornment is by no means meant to imply these modern societies are somehow living in the past and never made it out of the Stone Age. Quite the opposite, I would say: the mastery achieved in certain jewellery pieces from the South Seas is unparalleled to begin with. The values they express, the networks they are part of and the interaction between jewellery pieces and humans is of a complexity and depth that we could learn a thing or two from when clicking ‘buy it now’ on a random Tuesday evening. It’s these concepts that I am interested in as an archaeologist: not to compare a current-day culture 1:1 with the past (oh look, they make necklaces of shells, too), but to try and get a remote beginning of an idea of how I might look at and understand the past through the lens of the present – not to see the present through the lens of the past. Adorned by Nature offers plenty of food for thought.

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. She considers jewellery heritage and a historic source. She has authored several books on jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, and on archaeological jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the Society of Jewellery Historians, the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden and the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, among many others. She curates exhibitions and teaches online courses on jewellery from North Africa & Southwest Asia.