A Gold Pendant, Tali

INDIA, TAMIL NADU, EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Details

A Gold Pendant, Tali
India, Tamil Nadu, early 20th Century
The tali of anthropomorphic form with winged apsaras and mythical animals in relief bordered by foliate scrolls in openwork, the mid-section with a chased figure of a goddess within a niche, the lower section terminating in two abstract conical legs with scalloped-edge plaques of foliate design and floral fastenings, the sides similarly decorated
5 in. (20.3 cm.) high

Lot Essay

The tali is a marriage ornament placed on a bride during the marriage ceremony not to be removed until widowhood. It is primarily worn by Hindu Chettiar women living in the Pudukkotai area of Tamil Nadu. Though the form of the tali has many variations, this particular pendant incorporates a Hindu deity within a larger shrine-type framework; cf. O. Untracht, Oriental Art, vol. XLV, no. 2, 1999, p. 91.

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