Necklace (Padjiit)
Text
The earrings consist of a trapezoidal part, which opens on one side and is wrapped tightly with thin gold wire on three sides. The trapezoidal part is evidently cast (probably in lost wax technique) and has an earthen core inside, visible at the open ends.
The collector offers the following information about the present earrings and necklace: "from a small king of Batanes, very old and valuable." (German original: "von einem l<leinen Batanenkiinige, sehr alt und wertvoll". (transcript entitled "Listing of Gold Objects from Dr. A. Schadenberg, Shipment Seven" ["Liste Goldobjekte von Dr. A. Schadenberg VII Sendung"], Schadenberg, collector file, MVW archives)
Share this
Media
Images
Map Vienna Museum of Ethnology
Metadata
Identifier
MVW 42096 a, b
Origin
Luzon, Batanes, Ivatan
Materials
Gold
Physical Dimensions
D 27 cm
Provenance
Schadenberg, before 1891 Alexander Schadenberg (1851-1896) was a chemist and ethnographer, and a natural history enthusiast. Born in Breslau, Germany, he studied chemistry and botany. After receiving his Ph.D., he worked as the assistant director of the Potassic Salt Works in Stassfurt. In 1876, he went to worked as a chemist for the drug company Pablo Sartorius in Manila and in 1879, illness forced him to move back to Breslau. From 1881 to 1883, Schadenberg and his friend Otto Koch visited southern Mindanao to carry out ethnographic and linguistic studies, basing themselves in the Bagobo village of Sibulan. There, they also made ethnographic and natural history collections. Upon their return to Germany Schadenberg spent several years working on his collections, publishing, lecturing and corresponding with museums and anthropological societies throughout Europe. Schadenberg later returned to the Philippines and became a partner of Pablo Sartorius. He settled with his family in Vigan in 1885 and continued his excursions among the native people of the islands. After Schadenberg's death in 1896, his collections passed to several museums in Dresden, Vienna, Berlin, and Leyden.
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
Set with a pair of earrings
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.
Hornedo, Florentino. H. 2000. The Glitter of Gold in Batanes Cultural Heritage. Manila. University of Santo Tomas Publishing House.
Official Website
Collection
Source
Translated from German by Google Translate Record accessed March 2021
Cite this Page
“Necklace (Padjiit),” Mapping Philippine Material Culture, accessed April 25, 2024, https://philippinestudies.uk/mapping/items/show/6013.
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.