Himalayan Shell Pendant or Hair Ornament

This fine pendant or hair ornament of carved and engraved thick  shell with lac highlights is from the Lahaul (Lahul) and Spiti Districts of India’s northern Himachal Pradesh state in the Himalayas. Related ornaments were worn in Ladakh. It has the natural curve of the shell from which it was made and has been drilled with a central hole to allow it to be attached to the hair, as a decorative hair or head ornament, and another hole through a ridge on the reverse of the shell which would allow it to be more easily worn as a pendant. These retain their original native twine.

Additionally, an old crack part-way on the left of the shell has been locally repaired with holes drilled on each side and then held together with a strip of flattened copper wire. The repair itself has excellent age and patina and tells of how such an ornament was valued in that it was thought worth repairing.

Overall, the ornament has the most splendid patina, with the contours being softened from years of handling.

A dating of 19th century has been assigned but it could be earlier.

Ornaments made from shells were prestige pieces – there were no local supplies and the shell components were brought to the mountainous region by traders. Their imported status meant that they were expensive and so were considered luxury goods by the wearers. The marine origins of shell components and the association with fish meant that items made from such components were associated with fertility and so were ideal items for women to wear.

The form and decoration relates to silver-alloy examples that also were worn in the hair.

Lahaul (Lahul) and Spiti Districts are small in terms of  population an even today have a combined population of slightly more than 30,000. The population is generally of Tibetan or related ancestry and the  majority ethnic group is the Sino-Tibetan Kinnaur people. Generally, the locals follow a combination of Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism of the Drukpa Kagyu order, or   Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelugpa order.

The ornament is in excellent condition – the ‘native’ repair adds to the ornament’s interest. It is unusually large, well decorated and has a superb patina.

The ornament has come from an old collection in Scotland, likely to have been put together by a colonial administrator serving in the region. (Scots were commonly involved in the colonial administration of India.)