Nose pendant (bulak) thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Nose pendant (bulak)

Nose Ornament
ca. 1880 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleNose pendant (bulak) (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Gold or gilt metal set with turquoise and pearl simulants, green glass and seed pearls
Brief description
Nose ornament, gold set with turquoises and decorated with pendants, Kulu, c.1880
Physical description
Gold or gilt metal nose ring (bulak).
Dimensions
  • Length: 9.1cm
  • Width: 3.7cm
Production
Himachal Pradesh
Summary
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.
Bibliographic references
  • Susan Stronge, Nima Smith, and J.C. Harle. A Golden Treasury : Jewellery from the Indian Subcontinent London : Victoria and Albert Museum in association with Mapin Publishing, Ahmedabad, 1988. p.67
  • Indian Jewellery: The V&A Collection London: V&A Publishing, 2008 Number: ISBN 9781851774838 p. 17, pl. 1.8
Collection
Accession number
IS.1116-1883

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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