Necklet
ca. 1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Some British women collected traditional jewellery, and north Indian jewellery became fashionable among British women living in India in the 1880s. More commonly they had copies of European designs made locally. This necklet was acquired by London's India Museum in 1855, and would probably have been collected as an example of good traditional work. The front of the necklace is set with diamonds, but the back is enamelled with flower and leaf patterns in translucent red and green on an opaque white ground. Although it could not be seen when the necklet was being worn, the enamel would have protected the gold from abrasion by contact with the wearer's skin.
The India Museum was originally the East India Company's museum, housed at East India House in Leadenhall Street, London. With the demise of the East India Company in 1858, the museum came under the India Office and the collections were moved to Whitehall.
The India Museum was originally the East India Company's museum, housed at East India House in Leadenhall Street, London. With the demise of the East India Company in 1858, the museum came under the India Office and the collections were moved to Whitehall.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Enamelled gold, set with diamonds and pearls, with pendent pearls and emeralds |
| Brief description | Necklet, North India, about 1850. |
| Physical description | Necklet, enamelled gold, set with diamonds and pearls, with pendent pearls and emeralds. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Acquired by the India Museum in 1855, then transferred in 1879 to the South Kensington Museum, which later became the Victoria & Albert Museum. |
| Production | North India |
| Summary | Some British women collected traditional jewellery, and north Indian jewellery became fashionable among British women living in India in the 1880s. More commonly they had copies of European designs made locally. This necklet was acquired by London's India Museum in 1855, and would probably have been collected as an example of good traditional work. The front of the necklace is set with diamonds, but the back is enamelled with flower and leaf patterns in translucent red and green on an opaque white ground. Although it could not be seen when the necklet was being worn, the enamel would have protected the gold from abrasion by contact with the wearer's skin. The India Museum was originally the East India Company's museum, housed at East India House in Leadenhall Street, London. With the demise of the East India Company in 1858, the museum came under the India Office and the collections were moved to Whitehall. |
| Bibliographic reference | 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. ISBN: 0944142168
pp.74-75
STRONGE, Susan, Nima Smith and James Harle, A Golden Treasury. Jewellery from the Indian subcontinent, London, 1988, catalogue number 67, p.75 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 03202(IS) |
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| Record created | February 24, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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