BENARES, NORTH INDIA, LATE 18TH/19TH CENTURY

The bracelet uses enamels of a very distinctive palette. The shading of the enamels, particularly in the pink flowers, is typical of Benares. The pink enamel was apparently introduced in the late 18th century by Qaysar Agha, an Afghan from Kabul, who had learnt the craft from Persian enamellers. The pink motifs, normally flower and buds as seen here, were painted on white enamel with brushes made from squirrels’ tail hair. By the 1880s, the craft was almost non-existent and the last great Benares enameller, Babbu Singh, died in 1923 (Carvalho, London 2010, p.128).

Rigid bracelets with stylised zoomorphic head terminals are well known in India and were made in the north as well as the south. They are often seen on circular, gem-set enamelled bracelets with the hinged clasp rendered in the form of confronting animal heads such as the mythical makara, peacocks, tigers and elephants. The combatant elephant heads in the present example symbolise power and celebration and are reminiscent of aristocratic entertainment practised at Mughal and other Indian royal courts.

For comparable Benares bracelets with confronted elephant head terminals which have sold at auction, see Christie’s, London, 10 April 2014, lot 171; and Christie’s, South Kensington, 12 June 2014, lot 178.