2006.2.6

Collection type

Object

Description

Bangle: glass band covered with red lacquer, painted black on outer edge, with decroative blobs of yellow resin incorporating metal foil [EC 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 23/1/2006]

Geographical reference

India

Asia > Southern Asia > India

Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh Telangana Kerala Karnataka

Person

Field collector Unknown Collector

PRM source Hope Department, Oxford University Museum of Natural History

Date / Period

Date made: Before 1871

Date collected

circa 1871

Acquisition information

Transferred: 1952 Found unentered: 2006

Materials and processes

Material Glass, Material Foil Metal, Material Lac Insect Lacquer Varnish

Object numbers

Accession number: 2006.2.6

Research and responses

Personal communication, Nicholas Barnard, curator of SE Asia, V&A Museum: This object is similar to bangles the V&A has, originating at the old India Museum (the museum of the East India Company, then from 1858 of the India Office) whose decorative arts collections were transferred to the V&A (then South Kensington Museum) in 1879. It is possible that the PRM and V&A bangles have common origins, perhaps via the international exhibitions in the 2nd half of the 19th century, since the East India Company usually organised all Indian contributions to the international exhibitions. The India Museum got some of the residues from these exhibitions. Although he does not know about the 1871 exhibition, the V&A definitely had purchased material from the 1872 exhibition [GB 9/11/2006]

These 34 bangles [1952.6.10 .1 - .23 and 2006.2.3 - 13] were found together on a cylindrical mount covered with newspaper. The newspaper was the Delhi Times and although it has no visible date on it, one article refers to 1848 so it was definitely printed after this date. This evidence suggests that the bangles may have been grouped into their present configurations in India, and almost certainly mounted there. The bangles represent a collection of different styles - some ornamented with white beads, some with foil, all lacquer on glass. It is assumed that the accession entry which reads "23 bangles, lacquer on glass" does not refer to the composition of each bangle in this group but rather is a generic label. Since the accession entry is quite specific about the number of bangles (23), it has been necessary to give the other eleven bangles found on this mount new accession numbers. There were no accession numbers close to the original Hope department collection accession numbers so it has been necessary to use 2006 numbers. This decision was reached after discussions between myself, Alison Petch and Gali Beiner. [EC 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 23/1/2006]

Search terms: Ornament, Arm Ornament