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Source Description
This necklace includes a crescent-shaped pendant with a turquoise in the center of it. In the Dine language (sometimes called Navajo), these pendants were called naja, or crescent. Many scholars believe that these pendants were influenced by Islamic designs, descended through Spanish motifs. This particular type of crescent, encircling a turquoise, represents a baby in its mother's womb, and necklaces like these might have been seen as fertility charms. The silver beads on either side of the center pendant represent squash blossoms. They are probably adapted from Spanish silverwork showing pomegranate fruits. The many pieces of silver showed the wearer's wealth and status. With the completion of the Santa Fe Railroad at the turn of the 20th century, the American Southwest became a tourist destination. Fred Harvey, a British businessman, recognized the potential of this new market and took the opportunity to open a series of hotels, restaurants, and dining cards along the route. Tourism led to a rising interest in Native American jewelry. This necklace was purchased by Henry Walters in late 1915 or 1916 at one of the Fred Harvey Company's properties in Arizona.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
3445
label
Necklace with Crescent-Shaped Pendant
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
3
Source metadata
id
3445
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Necklace with Crescent-Shaped Pendant
description
This necklace includes a crescent-shaped pendant with a turquoise in the center of it. In the Dine language (sometimes called Navajo), these pendants were called naja, or crescent. Many scholars believe that these pendants were influenced by Islamic designs, descended through Spanish motifs. This particular type of crescent, encircling a turquoise, represents a baby in its mother's womb, and necklaces like these might have been seen as fertility charms. The silver beads on either side of the center pendant represent squash blossoms. They are probably adapted from Spanish silverwork showing pomegranate fruits. The many pieces of silver showed the wearer's wealth and status. With the completion of the Santa Fe Railroad at the turn of the 20th century, the American Southwest became a tourist destination. Fred Harvey, a British businessman, recognized the potential of this new market and took the opportunity to open a series of hotels, restaurants, and dining cards along the route. Tourism led to a rising interest in Native American jewelry. This necklace was purchased by Henry Walters in late 1915 or 1916 at one of the Fred Harvey Company's properties in Arizona.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown, brought from Arizona]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
1900-1915
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
necklaces
imageCount
3
pageCount
3
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 16 9/16 in. (42 cm)
Source extras
med
silver, turquoise
creator_ids
6184
collection_ids
JWL
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
3488928c1abb7513
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
4d9ecd35483bda7c
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
da0c604b98aaec33
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no