This marriage necklace consists of 16 gold tubular beads of stamped cross-hatched design strung on a thick black cord. These are interspersed with 7 large pendants of which four have a distinctive handlike shape. A spire rises perpendicularly from the center of each of these and its finial has eight facets representing the eight directions. The loop of each pendant has the same cross-hatched design as the beads. Just below is an applied panel depicting a "hamsa" (swan) symbolizing tranquility.
On one side is a round pendant decorated with lingas and representing a rudraksha bead. On the other side is a 6" long cylindrical pendant. The central comb-shaped pendant may indeed represent a comb, which in Mysore symbolizes a happy married life (Elwin). This has a repousse image of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, seated on a lotus. Her lower right hand is raised in the "abhaya" mudra while the lower left hand is in the "varada" mudra.
Inscriptions:
Each of the four hand-shaped pendants and the central comb-like pendant have the same Tamil inscription on the back: tee ka roo cho. The central pendant has an additional letter which stands for Pillayar (Ganesha).
Label:
This massive necklace weighs about two pounds (896.5 grams) and was created to be worn by brides from the Chettiyar, or wealthy merchant, community of southern India. Given to the bride by her parents as part of her dowry, the necklace is tied around the bride's neck by the groom during the wedding ceremony. The central comb-shaped pendant may indeed represent a comb, which in Mysore symbolizes a happy married life. The pendant features a repousse image of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, seated on a lotus.
Provenance:
?-?
Possibly Chettiar family, Tamil Nadu, India or Malaysia, likely commissioned [1]
? 1991
François Rabier, Brussels, Belgium, possibly acquired from Chettiar family [2]
From 1991
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, purchased from François Rabier [3]
Notes:
[1] François Rabier (see note 2) likely acquired this piece from a wealthy family in Tamil Nadu, India or Malaysia, where there is a significant Chettiar community that still practices traditional marriage ceremonies. Chettiar (also spelled Chettiyar) refers to land-holding, usually wealthy, mercantile non-Brahmin castes in the Tamil Nadu state. Notes in object file.
[2]See invoice from François Rabier to the Freer Gallery of Art, dated November 19, 1990, copy in object file. Object is described as “One Big Chettiar Thali Necklace.”
François Rabier is a dealer in Brussels, Belgium that has been active in Brussels since in the 1980s and specializes in sculpture, jewelry, and other three dimensional objects from Africa and Asia, including China, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Rabier exhibits and sells objects in his gallery and through auctions, including online auctions. He has also previously participated in the art fair BRUNEAF (BRUssels Non European Art Fair). He has operated under the names Dominique and François Rabier, Brussels, and François Rabier Asian & Tribal Art, Brussels.
[3] See Freer Gallery of Art “Acquisition Consideration Form,” marked approved on April 25, 1991, copy in object file. This work is part of the museum’s Freer Gallery of Art collection.
Research updated October 3, 2024.
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Gold: The Asian Touch (September 10, 2005 to February 20, 2006)
South Asian Sculpture (February 22, 2000 to June 18, 2003)
South and South East Asian Art (May 9, 1993 to February 7, 2000)
