[Oman-L] Omani hammered copper - old or new?

[van der Wijk]

Hi,

 

My understanding is as follows:

 

The hammered copper from the 19th century and first half of the  20th
century is recognizable by the the use of a ZIP connection that is used to
fit different parts together. So both parts have a saw like shape and
subsequently they are zipped togher and hammered flat. More modern copper is
welded. Sometimes you see a ZIP design and welding, but these are modern
repairs. You have to look sometimes extremely well to spot the ZIP design on
high quality copper and silver coffee pots. By the way: antique silver
coffee pots in Oman are extremely rare.

 

In Oman you also find antique items that look like copper but are in fact
made of bell metal. If you tick against them you get a sound like from a
bell. These bojects are cast rather than hammered. The designs are sometimes
crude but some designs are  extremely fine Safavid designs: For comparable
bell Metal objects see the book Islamic metalwork from the Iranian World
8-18th centuries by A.S Melikan- Chrivani (published by the V & A museum in
London) . Most collectors think this stuff is from the 1840's however you
can see in the book that the high quality examples could be much older. This
type of copper was originally made in India and Persia. With the many
contacts with Persia it is not unlikely the stuff was imported from Persia
or made by persian craftsman (the second option is very viable as the
Persians have been in Oman for long periods e.g Nizwa). I read in one of my
old books that the souq in Nizwa used to be called the "Shirazzi souk".
This stuff is also found in Yemen, some museum Books claim the bell Metal is
made in Yemen (I do not believe this).

 

The Metal working craft was passed over from father to son. However with
every new generation the designs became less sharp and more sloppy.
Therefore one could argue: the more intricate the design the more old! 

 

Warning: The bell metal items found in Oman are quite expensive and have
little value (so far) outside Oman. So be carfeful what you spent your money
on.

 

It may be very interesting if resarch was done in the bell metal items found
in Oman. The V & A in London has a lot of expertise. It would be very
interesting if they had a look at some of the high quality items that can be
found and determine how old they are (16th century??)

 

Hope this is of some use.

 

Regards,

         Hielke van der Wijk

 

Netherlands

 

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