Element from a Necklace Syria or Egypt, Mamluk Period, 1300s gold filigree, 2 3/8 inches (6 cm) high Museum purchase 1958.3

This centerpiece from a woman’s necklace was made in the region of Greater Syria when it was part of the empire of the Mamluk dynasty (1250-1517). Both the technique of filigree gold-working and the design motifs—scrolls, a medallion, and birds—had been known in West Asia and the Mediterranean since 3000 BC. The shape, however, is similar to the Mongolian "cloud collar," and reflects the influences of successive waves of Central Asian invaders from the 1000s.


To Southwest Asia