Turkmen Jewelry : Silver Ornaments from the Marshall and Marilyn R. Wolf Collection

The Turkmen people of Central Asia and Iran are revered for their carpets and textiles. Less well known, but equally stunning, is the extraordinary silver jewelry created by Turkmen tribal craftsmen and urban silversmiths throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. This catalogue presents nearly two hundred pieces in glorious detail, ranging from crowns and headdresses to armbands and rings, and featuring accents of carnelian, turquoise, and other stones. Characterized by elegant form, geometric shapes, and delicate openwork, Turkmen jewelry has typically been viewed through an ethnographic rather than an aesthetic lens. By highlighting these objectswhich come from one of the most significant private collections of Turkmen ornaments in the worldand placing them in the larger context of Islamic art, this groundbreaking publication elevates the vibrant, monumental pieces from folk art to fine art.

Layla S. Diba is an Islamic art expert, who was director of the Negarestan Museum, Tehran, and a curator at the Brooklyn Museum.