Silver necklace with enamelled silver, turquoise and coral beads, and grooming accessories
Mongolia, 19th century
'Grooming sets such as this example were attached to the dress or worn around the neck. Among the implements here, all in silver, are an ear pick, a nail cleaner, tongue scraper and a tooth pick.
The set features silver beads with enamelled ends, beads made from solid coral and turquoise, and two carved agate ornaments.
The centrepiece of the necklace is a central series of pendants that include, all in silver, double gourd motif, a large, elaborate double dragon pendant, and a Mongolian or Mongol horse.
The inclusion of a horse is particularly suggestive of the set’s Mongolian origins. The horses were essential to the nomadic lifestyle of the Mongolian steppe.' X
