Earrings (Pinatapatan)

The necklace is bound from thin gold wire. The central part consists of narrowly placed loopings; two of the totalling four wire strands are twisted together. The wires are braided into a three-dimensional plaiting for the neck part - one part ending in a loop, the other in a knob- used for fastening. Between the windings and plaitings the gold wire exhibits reddish discolourations.

Share this

Images

Map Vienna Museum of Ethnology

Identifier

MVW 42096 a, b

Origin

Luzon~Batanes~lvatan

Materials

Gold

Physical Dimensions

3.5 x 3.3 cm, 3.4 x 3 cm

Provenance

Schadenberg; before 1891

Acquisition Date

Before 1891

Short description

Gold is the most important status symbol among lvatan. During festivities the gold adornments are displayed to show one's wealth in public. Traditionally gold reached the Batanes Islands via the trading routes of Luzon; it was processed locally (Lebar 1975: 107). Among the preferred techniques were those which maximize the production of surfaces, aiming at a visual expression of great wealth. Traditionally the lvatan divided gold into several categories, using coloration as an important quality marker. Gold with a reddish coloration is the most precious; pale gold, however, attests of minor quality and reduces the value. The finished pieces of jewelry are immersed in a boiling solution of lemon and sulfur for some time, until they reach the desired reddish coloration. For this process, called kapanganus, each goldsmith keeps his own recipe. In this process, only gold of high quality can reach the desired red color (Hornedo 2000: 42-44). (Ursula Brandl-Straka 2009: 34-35).

Related Object

http://philippinestudies.uk/mapping/items/show/6012

Display status

Not on Display

References

The Philippines: Museum of Ethnology, Vienna : Early Collections. Vienna: Museum für Volkerkünde, 2009. Print.

Hornedo, Florentino. H. 2000. The Glitter of Gold in Batanes Cultural Heritage. Manila. University of Santo Tomas Publishing House.

Official Website

https://www.weltmuseumwien.at/

Collection

Vienna Museum of Ethnology

Source

Translated from German by Google Translate Record accessed March 2021

Cite this Page

“Earrings (Pinatapatan),” Mapping Philippine Material Culture, accessed April 19, 2024, https://philippinestudies.uk/mapping/items/show/6012.

Geolocation

Related Items

Sensitive Content
Mapping Philippine Material Culture collates digital material from institutions, and some of this material is inherently colonial and contains words, terms and phrases that are inaccurate, derogatory and harmful towards Filipino and Filipino diasporic communities. Catalogue transcriptions, book titles, exhibition titles and museum titles may contain harmful terms. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. Owing to the scale of the collection’s data, a process to implement sensitive-content warnings in the displayed data is still incomplete. The material within the catalogue does not represent Mapping Philippine Material Culture’s views. Mapping Philippine Material Culture maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities.