The “Three Religions” pendant brooch is one of the late works of Manaba Magomedova, the first female goldsmith in Dagestan. Manaba is a winner of republican and foreign competitions, an Honored Artist of Russia, People’s Artist of Georgia and Dagestan, member of the USSR Union of Artists, Knight of the Order of Honor of Georgia. The pendant brooch was donated to the museum by her daughter in 2014, a year after the artist died.
Manaba’s artworks have a distinctly handmade, even crude feel to them. It was essential for the craftswoman to emphasize her personal style, to contrast it with machine-made items. This is especially noticeable when she worked with stones. Manaba chose irregularly shaped stones, inserted ceramic shards into bracelets and created jewelry using fragments of art and thus preserving them. Each of her works is the embodiment of an emotional state and a concept.
The “Three Religions” pendant brooch is interesting in terms of technique, composition and color. The work stands out for its subtle play of color and texture: the blue, green and orange stone inserts form a single whole, but contrast in color and relief. The round disc representing the sun is the basis of the piece. Shades of yellow, orange and blue are enameled on it. The sun is a symbol of power that harbors heavenly energy. The sun is also associated with eternal youth and immortality, as it is reborn with each passing sunrise. The sun signifies intelligence, beauty, knowledge — the qualities that distinguish and complement a person.
The brooch features the symbols of three major religions — the Jewish Star of David, the Islamic Crescent and the Christian Cross of St. Nina. The signs complement each other and are delimited only by the color space. The stones on this jewelry piece are arranged asymmetrically, regardless of the principles of rhythmic patterning. They are placed in a smooth setting that emphasizes their sculptural, textured appearance.
Manaba Magomedova embodied her views on religion in this work. The craftswoman was against religious discord and wars; she believed that if all religions were united into one, life would be much better. In creating the “Three Religions” brooch, Magomedova sought to show a spiritual basis leading to an understanding of common roots, tolerance and liberal attitude towards religion.
Manaba’s artworks have a distinctly handmade, even crude feel to them. It was essential for the craftswoman to emphasize her personal style, to contrast it with machine-made items. This is especially noticeable when she worked with stones. Manaba chose irregularly shaped stones, inserted ceramic shards into bracelets and created jewelry using fragments of art and thus preserving them. Each of her works is the embodiment of an emotional state and a concept.
The “Three Religions” pendant brooch is interesting in terms of technique, composition and color. The work stands out for its subtle play of color and texture: the blue, green and orange stone inserts form a single whole, but contrast in color and relief. The round disc representing the sun is the basis of the piece. Shades of yellow, orange and blue are enameled on it. The sun is a symbol of power that harbors heavenly energy. The sun is also associated with eternal youth and immortality, as it is reborn with each passing sunrise. The sun signifies intelligence, beauty, knowledge — the qualities that distinguish and complement a person.
The brooch features the symbols of three major religions — the Jewish Star of David, the Islamic Crescent and the Christian Cross of St. Nina. The signs complement each other and are delimited only by the color space. The stones on this jewelry piece are arranged asymmetrically, regardless of the principles of rhythmic patterning. They are placed in a smooth setting that emphasizes their sculptural, textured appearance.
Manaba Magomedova embodied her views on religion in this work. The craftswoman was against religious discord and wars; she believed that if all religions were united into one, life would be much better. In creating the “Three Religions” brooch, Magomedova sought to show a spiritual basis leading to an understanding of common roots, tolerance and liberal attitude towards religion.
