A PAIR OF GEM-SET AND ENAMELLED BANGLES

Jewellery such as bracelets and anklets were always acquired in pairs and this tradition is prevalent in India even today. The dark blue enamel employed on the exterior of this pair of bangles was prevalent in the 19th century in India and is usually associated with the enamelling centres of Punjab and Lahore in the north-west and with Jaipur and Dholpur in Rajasthan, western India. The distinct chevron enamelled design on the inside of the bangles is also noteworthy. For a pair of 19th century anklets from Rajasthan, of similar form and with almost identical gem-setting and enamelled decoration, now in the collection of the National Museum, New Delhi (acc. no. 96.240(1-2)), see Balakrishnan, New Delhi, 2014, p.86.