Matthew Thomas
Senior Specialist
Lot 148≈
A group of four gold Pendants Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, late 19th/ early 20th Century(4)
6 October 2015, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£2,000 - £3,000
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A group of four gold Pendants
Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, late 19th/ early 20th Century
Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, late 19th/ early 20th Century
three South Indian marriage pendants (tali) of varying sizes and designs, fabricated from sheet gold, with lower sections in the forms of the letter 'm'; two with applied repoussé decoration with stylised foliate designs, apertures on sides for suspension, the smaller set with ruby to top; the third with a double-arched top edge and a double 'm' at the lower edge, with a lingam in the centre, two suspension loops to reverse; one gold amulet (taviz) from Rajasthan, of tapering cylindrical form, with two narrow bands of scrolling designs, two suspension loops above
the largest 5.4 cm. long, 24.2 g. ; 30.9 g. (total weight)(4)
the largest 5.4 cm. long, 24.2 g. ; 30.9 g. (total weight)(4)
Footnotes
The three South Indian marriage ornaments can either be worn alone or strung with other elements to form a fuller necklace. Forms and symbols correspond to particular religious sects, castes or communities. The large sculptural pendant, along with the smaller similarly formed gem-set one, is specific to the Kongu Vellalar Gounder community of Tamil Nadu. For comparable examples in the collections of the National Museum in New Delhi, see Usha R. Balakrishnan, Alamkara: The Beauty of Ornament, New Delhi, 2014, pg. 200,(acc. no. 88.625(1-4)). The tali with a representation of the lingam is worn by Shaivite Brahmins (followers of Shiva). Tiger's claws or teeth were traditionally worn as symbols of courage and victory. Bala Krishnan suggests that the stylised forms of the tali pendants perhaps derive their shape from the 'M' form of two tiger's claws placed adjacent to each other. (U. Bala Krishnan, M. Kumar, Indian Jewellery: Dance of the Peacock, Mumbai, 2001, pp.150-151).