Posted on: 30 July 2012

One of a pair of bangles, Madras, India, about 1870

Gold and gilt metal set with rubies. Each bangle has a flat gold band, engraved, with two flat square plates arranged on the top lozenge-wise; on each of these plates is a bird, and between the plates rises an expanded flower, set with rubies.

Bangles of this type, from about 1870, with flat gold squares set at an angle projecting from the hoop, seem to have been very common in south India at this time. They are worn by many of the women depicted in an album of paintings from about 1830 from Thanjavur, which shows castes, occupations, methods of cultivation and procession scenes.

Copyright: © V&A Images


 View Post on Facebook

Comments from Facebook

beautiful

super stuff.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

claaassss

Crazy for Indian craftsmanship; Indian clothes; Indian food. Been ther 5 times and am keen to go again...

Wow, this is so beautifully crafted!

so beautiful...

thank you for this Olaf.

I do note that this is one post where women members greatly outnumber the men their comments? :-P

My friend here wonders if this is a vangi that would adorn the upper arm rather than a bangle worn at the wrist. Although, they look amazingly gorgeous, they seems to have pretty sharp edges for bangles.

Oops, I apologize for the typos in my comment above :-(

they're bangles called "Paatli" .At least in Kannada so i'm guessing they're called something similar in Tamil.

and of course they're almost a mandatory ornament for women in most Mysore paintings too.