AN INDIAN BEJEWELLED GULABI-MEENAKARI (PINK-ENAMELLED) GOLD TURBAN ORNAMENT (TURRA) WITH PARROT Benares (Varanasi), India, 19th century
AN INDIAN BEJEWELLED GULABI-MEENAKARI (PINK-ENAMELLED) GOLD TURBAN ORNAMENT (TURRA) WITH PARROT Benares (Varanasi), India, 19th century Worked in the shape of a parrot (tuti) perched on a curling leaf, holding a cultured pearl in its beak, possibly a later replacement of an original encrusted and enamelled chattri (parasol) pendant with tassels, surmounted by a large rosette medallion enhanced with faceted white sapphires [RI 1.78] in gold kundan setting, the whole ornament painted in the characteristic Banarsi triad of gulabi (rose-pink), green and white enamels, 11cm x 5.2cm. * Accompanied by a verbal report no.22919 by the Gem and Pearl Laboratory Ltd with a radiographic assessment attesting that the pearl is cultured. Turra is a male turban ornament, which became increasingly fashionable at the Mughals and Maharajas' courts in the mid-18th century. Often designed in the form of a bird from whose beak is suspended a multiple-strand pearl tassel, turras usually ended with an emerald bead and a small gold tinsel tassel. According to Mughal sumptuary laws, these ornaments acquired special importance as symbols of hierarchical power and could only be worn by royalty, blood relatives of a chief, and honoured individuals (O. Untracht, Traditional Jewelry of India, 2008, p. 344 and p. 381). The stiffer part of the ornament, corresponding to the tail of the bird, was usually tucked into the turban folds, whilst the tassel was left hanging freely. Indian turban ornaments like turra, jiga, and sarpech acted as profound catalysts of Art Deco jewellery in the West, inspiring European jewellery firms like Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels to develop new combinations and designs for their pendants and brooches featuring pearl and gemstone tassels. For an almost identical turra decorated with Banarsi gulabi-meenakari still featuring its original tassel, please see U. Balakrishnan, Dance of the Peacock: Jewellery Traditions of India, 2010, p. 312, fig. 524. Another example of turra with Jaipuri meenakari in the tones of red, white, and green is illustrated in Untracht's publication, Traditional Jewelry of India, 2008, p. 403, fig. 859.Click here to share:
[ translate ]View it on
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
AN INDIAN BEJEWELLED GULABI-MEENAKARI (PINK-ENAMELLED) GOLD TURBAN ORNAMENT (TURRA) WITH PARROT Benares (Varanasi), India, 19th century Worked in the shape of a parrot (tuti) perched on a curling leaf, holding a cultured pearl in its beak, possibly a later replacement of an original encrusted and enamelled chattri (parasol) pendant with tassels, surmounted by a large rosette medallion enhanced with faceted white sapphires [RI 1.78] in gold kundan setting, the whole ornament painted in the characteristic Banarsi triad of gulabi (rose-pink), green and white enamels, 11cm x 5.2cm. * Accompanied by a verbal report no.22919 by the Gem and Pearl Laboratory Ltd with a radiographic assessment attesting that the pearl is cultured. Turra is a male turban ornament, which became increasingly fashionable at the Mughals and Maharajas' courts in the mid-18th century. Often designed in the form of a bird from whose beak is suspended a multiple-strand pearl tassel, turras usually ended with an emerald bead and a small gold tinsel tassel. According to Mughal sumptuary laws, these ornaments acquired special importance as symbols of hierarchical power and could only be worn by royalty, blood relatives of a chief, and honoured individuals (O. Untracht, Traditional Jewelry of India, 2008, p. 344 and p. 381). The stiffer part of the ornament, corresponding to the tail of the bird, was usually tucked into the turban folds, whilst the tassel was left hanging freely. Indian turban ornaments like turra, jiga, and sarpech acted as profound catalysts of Art Deco jewellery in the West, inspiring European jewellery firms like Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels to develop new combinations and designs for their pendants and brooches featuring pearl and gemstone tassels. For an almost identical turra decorated with Banarsi gulabi-meenakari still featuring its original tassel, please see U. Balakrishnan, Dance of the Peacock: Jewellery Traditions of India, 2010, p. 312, fig. 524. Another example of turra with Jaipuri meenakari in the tones of red, white, and green is illustrated in Untracht's publication, Traditional Jewelry of India, 2008, p. 403, fig. 859.Click here to share:
[ translate ]Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
