A Golden Horde turquoise and pearl-set gold belt or necklace, Pontic-Caspian Steppe, 14th century

Christie's London, 23 October 2007, lot 438

Elements from a closely comparable belt, including identical moulded interlacing patterns on the underside of each pyramidal element, are in the Khalili Collection (inv. no.JLY 1639; Spink 2013, pp.422-3, cat.319). The pyramidal elements on that belt are inscribed with ‘for you’ in mirrored Kufic. Square belt elements with comparable fine moulded interlacing patterns were excavated at burial mounts in Akmola province, modern-day Kazakhstan, in 1893, while round belt elements with closely comparable decoration were excavated in the city of Berdyansk, modern-day Ukraine, in 1892 (Elikhina, Kramarovsky & Polyakova 2000, pp.85, 91, 252, 257-8, cats 143-155, 170-3). The construction of the chain finds its closest comparison in belt elements excavated at Simferopol, Crimea (Spink 2013, p.422).

Comparable belts were sold in these rooms, 13 April 2000, lot 87, and Christie’s London, 6 October 2011, lot 75.