Pairs of gold ear ornaments, Thandatti
These extravagant gold ear ornaments were gifted to a young woman by her parents on her wedding day, as part of her dowry. They are of two types, pambadan and thandatti (seen here). Neither form has a clear design lineage and their forms may ultimately relate to the asymmetrical ear ornaments worn by Shiva, the tutelary deity of the Vellala Nadar caste, the landed-owning gentry of Tamil Nadu. The thandatti has an abstract, highly geometricized form constructed of cubic, spherical and rectangular elements. The goldsmithing is of a high standard and the design unique to these communities. They have a concealed hinged device allowing the ornament to be opened to secure it in a distended earlobe. Although giving the appearance of having considerable weight, they are in fact lac-filled and surprisingly light.
Artwork Details
- Title: Pairs of gold ear ornaments, Thandatti
- Date: late 19th–early 20th century
- Culture: India
- Medium: Gold sheet and granulation
- Dimensions: H. 1 3/4 in. (4.4.cm); W. 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm); D. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)
- Classification: Gold
- Credit Line: Purchase, David E. Stutzman and John D. Lamb Gift, 2022
- Object Number: 2022.263a, b
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Indian
late 19th–early 20th century
India, Andhra Pradesh
ca. 1st century BCE–1st century CE
India
1500–500 BCE
India, Ancient kingdom of Kashmir
9th century
Indian (Tamil Nadu)
ca. first quarter of the 10th century
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