Sotheby’s, Londres, 25 février 1974 : n°132

Collection particulière belge, mentionné dans un inventaire pour assurance daté 1985, n°70i

Puis par descendance, collection particulière belge

Fatimid silver jewelry is extremely rare, largely due to its frequent melting down during periods of crisis, as silver was commonly mobilized as a monetary reserve. The looting of the caliphal treasuries under the reign of al-Mustansir in the second half of the eleventh century also contributed to the dispersal of Fatimid luxury objects (Ettinghausen, R., Grabar, O., & Jenkins-Madina, M., Islamic Art and Architecture 650–1250, Yale University Press, 2001).

Such ornaments may have been produced or circulated in Caesarea, where archaeological discoveries have yielded comparable groups, attesting to the refinement and prosperity of the Fatimid dynasty (Kool, R., Baidoun, F., & Sharvit, J., “The Fatimid Gold Treasure from Caesarea Maritima Harbor,” 2015).

The Aga Khan Museum houses a closely related pair of bracelets, similar in dimensions, repoussé silver technique, and figural decoration (inv. AKM600a-b). According to the accompanying catalogue entry, other comparable bracelets are held in the L. A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art (inv. no. J239) and in the al-Sabah Collection (LNS 68 J a–b).