Tourist or Real Deal?

[Ian]

Ward, I think you are saying that if an item was made for an intended purpose/use, and it happens to be bought by a collector/tourist then it is still a valid artifact from that culture. Therefore, if it was not made for an intended use, it is a piece of commercial decorative art that may have some value but is not the real deal. Is that correct?

This is an issue that has been debated by antique collectors, dealers and artists for years and I have not heard a consensus emerge. Perhaps this is an issue we could address in a separate thread if you would like to start one.

Ian.

Originally Posted by ward

We get into a yes and no answer on items like these. let us say you have 5 of these primers in the souq. 2 get sold to goat farmers,1 to some rebel in the hills, and 2 to tourist. Is the piece tourist or not? These are functional.

Some of the pistols, knifes, and swords sold in the souq would not stand the first use without being seriously damaged or destroyed. Those particular items are obviously made for just decoration and sold to tourist.

Yemen daggers are another example of this. Men have worn these for years and I am sure the same craftsman that sold to them also sold to tourist.