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Nose pendant (bulak)
Unknown - Enlarge image
Nose pendant (bulak)
- Object:
Nose ornament
- Place of origin:
Kulu, India (made)
- Date:
ca. 1880 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Gold or gilt metal set with turquoise and pearl simulants, green glass and seed pearls
- Museum number:
IS.1116-1883
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This nose pendant is made of gilt metal set with turquoise, green glass and pearls. It was made in Sultanpur, Kulu, and was collected for the V&A by Caspar Purdon Clarke during a purchasing trip to India in 1881-1882. It was probably made not long before it was acquired. This is a modest example of Kulu nose pendants, which were recorded in the late 19th century as being made in extravagant sizes. In these cases, they required a complex system of pulley-like supports to spread the weight across the ears or hair. This type of nose ornament would have been worn by married or unmarried women, though never by widows, and was usually made of gold.
