posted on May 8, 2003 07:48:00 PM new
My mom purchased this in a souk in Saudi around 20 years ago, and we are house cleaning and she does not want it any more, so I thought I would pop it on ebay. But I am not sure what the story is.
Here is a photo:
Hopefully that link will work.
It's 9 3/4 inches tall.
Thanks
J
[ edited by Japerton on May 8, 2003 07:48 PM ]
posted on May 8, 2003 08:51:16 PM new
Hmmm. I've seen these around but don't have a clue. Maybe something to serve coffee or chocolate? Try posting this on the collectibles message board.
posted on May 8, 2003 09:02:44 PM new
It's a coffee server set. When friends come over, they drink shots of coffee (instead of liquor) out of the little cups. If you can find someone who can read Arabic, have them translate any writing that may be on it, especially on the bottom of the server. There can be some $100.00 keywords hidden there. I've sold several of the servers, but only one complete set like you have. I'm lucky to have an Arabic friend who can translate for me.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on May 8, 2003 09:10:49 PM new
Thanks for the info, sparkz. I will have to look closer now if I see any other pieces like them. I was thinking more along the lines of this one but maybe India copied the design or just has the same type.
posted on May 8, 2003 09:22:50 PM new
Kiara
Some of them are made in India and sold commercially, such as through Pier 1 and some of the gift shops. If this one was acquired in Saudi Arabia, it was most likely made in Egypt or Morocco. It's extremely helpful to get someone from the middle east to identify it and note any writing, especially Prophet's names, that may be on it. I usually list mine in collectibles:culture & religion:Islam and use a gallery pic. Anyone who browses that category will recognize it immediately. BTW, if any of the words happen to translate to something like "personal property of Saddam or Osama", Japerton will be rich
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on May 8, 2003 09:24:15 PM new
I used to have one of those sets, let me know what it goes for, I think mine is still in my parents basement beside the 5 foot tall hooka my father sent me as a 12 year old (did I ever mention that my family is very strange?)
The reason the cups are so small is that is the coffee is absurdly strong and tradition demands that you drink coffee with your host. Visit five or six homes that day with large cup of that coffee and you may not sleep for a week.
posted on May 8, 2003 09:31:02 PM new
You folks rock.
I does look indian, now that I think of it, but I scanned the bottom of the tray and the pot and there are no marks at all.
I lived in saudi a little, and I have some bedoin silver, but really never heard of brass items, although I was in school etc.
I saw those hookahs a lot in saudi, the running joke was that they must be smoking camel pooh, the smoke around the groups of guys who sat around smoking was just enough to make you keel over.
Thanks very much everyone!
Japerton
posted on May 8, 2003 09:37:39 PM new
Is the bedoin silver the rough kind of dull pieces (I used to have a couple medalions with koran scriptures on them)? Somewhere I have a more ceremonial looking coffee sets that is gloss black enamel over a silver or silver tone. All the designs are cut into the enamal to let the silver show thru to create the designs. If I remember correctly they are mainly flowers. Do you happen to know what this style is called?
posted on May 8, 2003 09:58:33 PM new
Neon,
I wish I did know, my mom was shopping in a souk, that sadly later was razed for development, (it must have been a thousand years old!)
I have a jar of parts and sand beads (I think a lost wax technique) earrings, rings, etc
Here is a scan of the bag of items that were saved. My mom wishes she had grabbed more, but was not to be!
There are two or three beads in there that are NOT bedoin, and it's pretty obvious, but they are in my bead stash, some day I will find a way to use display them.
Quite amazing.
Japerton
posted on May 8, 2003 10:09:12 PM new
ahhhh - OK. Those are vere cool. Making me wantto go back home and grab some of my boxes of stuff that my dad sent. The mention of the sand beads reminded me of a couple sand roses he sent before he found out that SA doesn't allow them to be exported.
posted on May 9, 2003 01:02:20 AM new
LOL!
I just read your post Sparks!
Thanks for the info, I think the etching is a leaf design, but I am still giggling over the Osama part....
Thanks on the bead stash, that is but a tiny portion of the sad addiction I stumbled onto when I found ebay.
RE stand rose. It is a beautiful thing, somehow, nature makes these out of some sort of magic in the sand, the ones I have seen have a petal effect, I used to have one the size of a cabbage, but in many moves it is gone, all I have left are some small ones. (bang head on wall....)
google search result:
http://membres.lycos.fr/middle_east/Mougenot.html
http://www.earlham.edu/~greshjo/Rosette.htm
posted on May 10, 2003 09:43:15 AM new
I have one of these - underneath is Made in India, in dots (as on the one in the link Kiara posted), but very hard to see or make out. You have to hold it at the right angle and maybe use a magnifying glass.
