Upper Armband
20th century (made)
| Place of origin |
Gold serpentine-shaped upper armband, vanki, has an overall repoussé and chased decoration fused onto a curved gold sheet with a pair of screw-pin hinges towards the back of the lower edges on either side. The hollow piece is filled with a substance, probably lac, to keep it rigid. The front has a design of two confronted mythological bird-like creatures with animal heads under a fierce kirtimukha, face of Glory, with fangs and exposed tongue, set with two red stones as eyes under a pearl finial. A pendant oval aventurine stone hangs beneath. Two little parrot-like birds are perched on the foliage emanating from the mythological creatures' open mouths. Below among curling foliage and flowers is a pair of peacocks looking back over their wings. The back of the armband is topped by another kirtimukha with flowing foliage on either side within narrow beaded borders.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Gold, pearl glass and aventurine, with lac. Repoussé work and chasing |
| Brief description | Gold upper armband, vanki, with a pearl, glassstones and aventurine from Tamil Nadu |
| Physical description | Gold serpentine-shaped upper armband, vanki, has an overall repoussé and chased decoration fused onto a curved gold sheet with a pair of screw-pin hinges towards the back of the lower edges on either side. The hollow piece is filled with a substance, probably lac, to keep it rigid. The front has a design of two confronted mythological bird-like creatures with animal heads under a fierce kirtimukha, face of Glory, with fangs and exposed tongue, set with two red stones as eyes under a pearl finial. A pendant oval aventurine stone hangs beneath. Two little parrot-like birds are perched on the foliage emanating from the mythological creatures' open mouths. Below among curling foliage and flowers is a pair of peacocks looking back over their wings. The back of the armband is topped by another kirtimukha with flowing foliage on either side within narrow beaded borders. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Dr W. Ganguly |
| Object history | This armband is part of the large donation of Indian folk jewellery from Dr Waltraud Ganguly which was collected over the last few decades before her death in 2015 from dealers in both India and Europe, in parallel with extensive fieldwork she carried out in the Indian Sub-Continent. |
| Bibliographic reference | Krishnan, Usha, (2005) Icons in Gold: jewellery of India, Musee Barbier-Mueller, Geneva, 160-161. This shows a similar type of armband |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.58-2019 |
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| Record created | April 14, 2015 |
| Record URL |
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