MSI560

OLD CENTRAL FLORES “OM’E MBULU” FERTILITY EARRINGS (PAIR)

Traditional Bridewealth & Ritual Jewelry | Lio Culture, Wea Region, Central Flores, Indonesia

OBJECT OVERVIEW

A matched pair of traditional OM’E MBULU fertility earrings from the Lio cultural sphere of Central Flores, historically used as ceremonial bridewealth valuables. These ornaments are not decorative accessories in the modern sense, but social and ritual objects embedded in marriage exchange systems, symbolizing fertility, lineage continuity, and inter-clan alliance.

CULTURAL & HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Within Lio society of Central Flores, OM’E MBULU earrings were worn by women during key transitional rites—most notably marriage ceremonies. They formed part of bridewealth and ritual exchange systems, where objects circulated between families as tangible representations of social bonds, fertility blessings, and ancestral continuity.

Over time, such pieces acquired a lived patina through handling, ceremonial wear, and long-term circulation. Their surfaces often reflect this biography—subtle wear patterns and toning consistent with ritual use rather than purely ornamental storage.

MATERIALS & CRAFT

• Copper alloy (tested brass)

• Hand-formed sheet metal construction

• Raised boss detailing with stamped rosette motifs

• Traditional cotton fiber suspension elements

• Hand-finished, non-industrial fabrication consistent with regional highland metalworking traditions

MEASUREMENTS & WEIGHT (PAIR)

• Length: 52 mm

• Earlobe opening: 20 mm

• Weight: 28.32 g (pair)

CONDITION

Very good for age.

• Fully intact pair

• Structurally stable

• Wear consistent with age and ritual use

• Attractive, original aged patina

• No modern alterations observed

Wearable, though primarily of ethnographic and collector value.

RARITY & COLLECTOR NOTE

OM’E MBULU earrings of this type are increasingly uncommon in intact matched pairs, particularly with preserved structural integrity and original patina. Their significance lies not only in material craftsmanship, but in their role as functional bridewealth objects within a diminishing ritual economy of Central Flores.

PROVENANCE / REFERENCES

Comparable examples and typologies are documented in:

• A World of Earrings: Africa – Asia – America (Ann Van Cutsem, Skira, p. 285)

• Ethnic Jewellery from Indonesia (Bruce W. Carpenter, Phillip Heurtault, Dr. Antonio J. Guerreiro, pp. 234–235)

SALE FORMAT

Sold as a matched pair.