TWO 'MAKARA HEAD' SILVER BANGLES (KADA)
Possibly Madras (Chennai), Tamil Nadu, South India, 19th century

Each of circular shape, made of silver, one encrusted with rounded turquoise beads and the sides made from an ascending repetition of the same makara head, the latter parcel-gilt, each kada worked with repoussé and high-chased decoration to effectively render the makara scales, snake-like bodies, crests, curved snout and bulging eyes, the pair of facing makara head terminals holding in their mouths a stylised rudraksha bead, the seed of the fruit of the Elaeocarpus angustifolius, an autochthonous tree believed to be dear to the Hindu god Shiva and by extension a symbol of Shaiva devotion, one decorated with a band of rosettes, the latter with geometric gridwork, 6cm and 5.5cm diam. respectively, the tallest 8cm high, 103gr.

Mostly made of gold but with some surviving examples in silver, these ornaments were worn by Rajas and male court members as a mark of favour and status (O. Untracht, Traditional Jewelry of India, 2008, p. 254, fig. 578). An almost identical bangle made of solid gold and encrusted with rubies was successfully sold in these Rooms earlier this year, 28 April 2023, lot 298.