A North Indian gold collier with a Vishnupada amulet - image-1

Lot 58 Rα

A North Indian gold collier with a Vishnupada amulet

Auction 1075 - overview Cologne
17.11.2016, 16:30 - Jewellery, Boxes and Portrait Miniatures
Estimate: 2.500 € - 3.000 €
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A North Indian gold collier with a Vishnupada amulet

A fine twisted gold chain interspersed with geometric enamelled links and pearls. Suspending a finely enamelled palmette-form plaque with the footprint of Vishnu to recto and the Hindu inscription "Sita Ram Ji" to verso, both amid flowerheads and birds. H 3.2 x 3.3 cm. Chain: L 41 cm. Total weight 27.8 g.
Presumably last quarter 19th C.

Touching the soles of feet as a sign of reverence and the use of footprints as holy symbols has a long history in Buddhism, Janism and Hinduism. In Hinduism, the most important footprint is that of Vishnu. These so-called Vishnupada amulets in enamelled gold are produced in Jaipur in Northern India and in Nathadwara in Radjastan to this day.

Provenance

Formerly private ownership, Northern Scotland.

Literature

On Vishnupada amulets cf.: Untracht, Traditional Jewellery of India, London 1997, p. 106 f.