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Lot Essay
Immediately recognisable in this pair of earrings is the addorsed tri-lobed leaves with a smaller similar motif above which can be found in various manifestations throughout Spanish Islamic art. In the caliphal period for example it decorates the exterior of the casket of Hisham II (Dodds, Jerrilynn D.: Al-Andalus, the Art of Islamic Spain, New York, 1992, no.9, pp.208-9) while five hundred years later in the later Nasrid period it can be found in a more elongated form in various panels on the Alhambra vase (Dodds, Jerrilynn D.: op.cit., no.112, p.358-9).
The execution of this main design is not as precise as it is when encountered in the items mentioned above. The stem has developed into a large extra lower lobe, and the upper motif is markedly assymmetrical, to cope with the twisting of the wire outline. This lends the earrings a somewhat provincial appearance. Yet the execution of the earrings and in particular the work along the leading edges of the outer lobes is very fine indeed, inidicating a very proficient craftsman.
The execution of this main design is not as precise as it is when encountered in the items mentioned above. The stem has developed into a large extra lower lobe, and the upper motif is markedly assymmetrical, to cope with the twisting of the wire outline. This lends the earrings a somewhat provincial appearance. Yet the execution of the earrings and in particular the work along the leading edges of the outer lobes is very fine indeed, inidicating a very proficient craftsman.