Indian Silver Earrings, Uttar Pradesh

Pair of Silver Earrings

This fine pair of silver earring comprises large, semi-hoops decorated with flower and other motifs in applied silver and dozens of slightly-cupped, petal-shaped silver plaques suspended from wound-silver wire chains.

Probably, they are from Uttar Pradesh; certainly they are from northern India.

They are light-weight and quite wearable. The odd pendant petal is now missing but this is consistent with their age and not obvious with all the profusion.

A single related earring is illustrated in Gerlach (1906). Untracht (1997, p. 228) illustrates some silver torques that have similar form to the earrings here, which are attributed to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

Gerlach, M. (ed.), Primitive and Folk Jewelry, (originally published in 1906), Dover Publications, 1971.

Untracht, O.,

Traditional Jewelry of India, Thames & Hudson, 1997.

UK art market