of tapering cylindrical form, fabricated from sheet gold, with repoussé decoration in the form of concentric registers to top and bottom terminating in diamond-shaped finials, the top register with gem-set floral designs and foliate motifs in open framework surrounding open-ended conical section for suspension
16.5 cm. long; 59.3 g.

Footnotes

This pendant (tali kuchchi), literally meaning stick, is part of the traditional gold marriage necklace (kaluthiru) worn by the Nattukottai Chettiars. The Nattukottai Chettiars are a devoutly Shaivite, prosperous mercantile community of Tamil Nadu in South India. (O. Untracht, Traditional Jewelry of India, London, 2008, pp.158 - 159, ill.284). The kaluthiru is unique to this merchant community. The tali kuchchi is usually incorporated into the kaluthiru after the marriage and is given by the groom's family as a sign of accepting the bride. For a comparable example in the collections of the National Museum, New Delhi, (accession no. 89.1001), see Usha R. Balakrishnan, Alamkara: The Beauty of Ornament, The National Museum Collection of Indian Jewellery, New Delhi, 2014, pg.198.

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- Islamic and Indian Art

A gem-set gold marriage Pendant (tali kuchchi) Tamil Nadu, South India, 19th Century

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Matthew Thomas