Prayer-bead
BackDescription:
Prayer-beads (misbahah, tasbih or subhah) made of 99 round beads made of black coral inlaid with silver pins. The two divider beads of black coral are flanked by oblong white beads (ivory? bone?). A fifth white bead is strung under the long black coral 'imam' bead, which ends in a red and white silk tassel.
Object type: | prayer-bead |
Museum number: | 2016,6028.2 |
Date: | 1880s-1890s (circa) |
Production place: | Made in: Istanbul (?)~Made in: Sanaa (?) |
Findspot: | Found/Acquired: Morocco |
Materials: | coral (black), bone (?), ivory (?), silver, silk |
Technique: | inlaid |
Dimensions: | Length: 71.00 cm (including tassel) Diameter: 1.00 cm (average bead) |
Location: | 24 |
Acquisition names: | Purchased from: Barbie Campbell Cole |
Acquisition date: | 2014 |
Curator's comments:
In many religions, prayer beads are used as counting devices for silent and communal prayer and to assist in rhythmic repetitions in praise of the divine, known as dhikr (remembrance) in Islamic contexts. This tasbih, made up of 99 black coral beads inlaid with silver, corresponds to the al-asma al-husna (99 Beautiful Names of God) derived from the Qur’an. The prayer-beads were re-strung in 2016 in Morocco so the ivory/bone beads are possibly modern additions although they are from the same period as the black coral beads.
1 of 2