Enquiry about object: 4950
Pair of Indian Silver Anklets
Orissa, India circa 1900
ength: 14cm, width: 9cm, combined weight: 245g
Provenance
Collection of the late Paul Walter, New York, probably acquired in London.
Each of this pair of silver anklets for a woman comprises a hollow, squarish tube of sheet silver, shaped into an undulating oval with applied decorations, and dozens of suspended silver jangles which would make a gently tinkling sound as the wearer walked.
This type of anklet is attributed to various regions of India, but Orissa is the most likely origin of this pair.
They are decorative and sculptural. Such anklets are in keeping with traditional Indian Hindu notions about the feet and their importance. Most Indian would go with bare feet, so they were in contact with the earth – the source of life and nourishment. It is fitting therefore that the feet be decorated.
The pair here are in fine condition with only a few losses to the suspended jangles.
References
Stronge, S., N. Smith & J.C. Harle, A Golden Treasury: Jewellery from the Indian Subcontinent, Victoria & Albert Museum/Mapin Publishing, 1988.
van Cutsem, A., A World of Bracelets: Africa, Asia, Oceania, America, Skira, 2002.
