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Ear ornament

Ear ornament

  • Place of origin:

    Madras (probably, made)

  • Date:

    ca. 1885 (made)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Gold with cluster of pearl simulants., probably essence d'orient over a lac core.

  • Museum number:

    IS.161-1886

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

Physical description

Ear ornament (koppu) worn at the top of the ear. Gold with imitation pearls depending from the lower portion.

Place of Origin

Madras (probably, made)

Date

ca. 1885 (made)

Materials and Techniques

Gold with cluster of pearl simulants., probably essence d'orient over a lac core.

Dimensions

Length: 5 cm, Width: 2 cm including pendants, Diameter: 1.1 cm metal only, excluding pendants

Object history note

Purchased from the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, 1886; possibly bought in India for the exhibition by Caper Purdon Clarke in 1885.

Descriptive line

Ear ornament (koppu), gold with a cluster of pearl simulants, Southern India, c.1885.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

.
Ganguly, Waltraud, Earring,Ornamental Identity and Beauty in India, B.R.Publishing Corporation, Delhi, 2007, p.235
p. 20, pl. 1.12
Indian Jewellery: The V&A Collection London: V&A Publishing, 2008 Number: ISBN 9781851774838

Production Note

Southern India, recorded as from 'Madras', which may however refer to the Madras Presidency rather than the city (now Chennai). Ganguly observes that koppu with pendant pearls were 'fairly common in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh'.

Materials

Gold; Imitation pearl

Categories

Jewellery; Metalwork

Collection

South & South East Asia Collection

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