Client: Art of Heritage, Riyadh, KSA
At The National Museum Bahrain, Manama (3rd December 2018 – 3rd May 2019)
This remarkable opportunity to partner with the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and to present Design Crossroads; The Jewellery of Saudi Arabia at the Bahrain National Museum befittingly coincided with Muharraq, Kingdom of Bahrain being selected as the Arab Region’s Capital of Islamic Culture 2018. The focus of the exhibition was to highlight the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s centrality as a design crossroads of the ancient world and the legacy this has shown in its Jewellery traditions.
This exhibition outlined the enormous design repertoire that exists amongst the Jewellery traditions of the kingdom. Drawn from the vast archives of the Art of Heritage Collections at Riyadh, most of these objects were exhibited for the first time. They represened the full range of jewelled objects that were personal possessions and accoutrements of Bedouin women. The Jewellery on display included head pieces, earrings, nose rings, necklaces, bracelets, waist belts, finger rings and anklets, besides a selection of face veils and bejeweled textiles that were worn as head pieces. The jewels have for the most part been displayed as complete sets worn by Bedouin women in their daily life.