POSSIBLY TAMIL NADU, SOUTH INDIA, 19TH CENTURY

In Hindu mythology, the mango tree is held to be a symbol of love, and some attribute to it the power to grant wishes. Necklaces in the form of small mango-shaped fruits are attested in bronze statuettes from the time of the Chola dynasty (c.848-1279), and remain particularly associated with Tamil-speaking South India. Though some examples can be very long and include precious gemstones, examples in plain gold like the present lot are also known (Usha R. Bala Krishnan and Meera Sushil Kumar, Dance of the Peacock: Jewellery Traditions of India, Mumbai, 1999, p.98, no.138).