Pair Of Khoras Kbach

Northern Morocco (Fes - Tangier - Tetouan), late 18th - early 19th century

Chiseled gold, emeralds, red stones, purple stone and decorative elements.

Diameter: 9 cm.

Price: €9,800

Rare and important pair of traditional Moroccan earrings called Khoras Kbach ("ram's head"), remarkable testimony to Moroccan high jewelry of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Each loop consists of a large open gold ring, with finely engraved ends, evoking ram horns. An imposing openwork medallion is suspended there, organized around an oval purple stone and surrounded by a radiant floral decoration set with emeralds and red stones.

The openwork, the richness of the settings and the harmony of the composition testify to the exceptional refinement achieved by the goldsmith workshops in northern Morocco at that time, under the influence of Spanish-Moroish and Andalusian traditions.

These prestigious ornaments were traditionally associated with wedding ceremonies. They were attached to the brides' headdress thanks to a fastening system that has now disappeared on many copies. Beyond their ornamental function, they were true markers of social prestige and family prosperity.

Their traditional name of Khoras Kbach, literally "ram's head", refers to the characteristic silhouette of curved rings, a symbol associated with strength, fertility and protection.

Comparable copies are kept in the collections of the Chefchaouen Ethnographic Museum, while several reference publications devoted to Moroccan jewelry illustrate this type of emblematic set.

This pair also benefits from a particularly interesting provenance, from the Jean-Pierre Laprugne collection, a recognized Parisian collector and merchant, specialist in non-European arts and Islamic arts.

The set has a remarkable quality of execution, generous dimensions and a strong visual presence that make it a first-rate collector's item.

Condition: good general condition, with some small shortcomings and wear consistent with seniority.

Origin:

Jean-Pierre Laprugne Collection.

Bibliography:

Islam in the national collections, Paris, 1977.

Rachel Hasson, Later Islamic Jewellery, L.A. Mayer Memorial Institute for Islamic Art, Jerusalem, 1987.

Michèle Rabaté and André Goldenberg, Bijoux du Maroc, 1999.

Morocco, the treasures of the kingdom, catalog of the Petit Palais, Paris, 1999.

Abdelaziz Slaoui, Gold ornaments from Morocco, 1999.

Documentation and comparable copies:

Israel Museum, Jerusalem (inv. B69.0371 a-b).

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Museum of Art and History of Judaism (mahJ), Paris.

Ethnographic Museum of Chefchaouen.