COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
mediaCollectionId
AMICO~1~1
The AMICA Library
Collection
true
AMICA ID:
CMA_.1973.66.1-3
amicoid
CMA_.1973.66.1-3
AMICA ID
false
AMICA Library Year:
1998
aly
1998
AMICA Library Year
false
Object Type:
Costume and Jewelry
oty
Costume and Jewelry
Object Type
false
Creator Nationality:
Indian
crc
Indian
Creator Nationality
false
Creator Dates/Places:
India
cdt
India
Creator Dates/Places
false
Creator Name-CRT:
India, Uttar of Madhya Pradesh, Shunga Period
crt
India, Uttar of Madhya Pradesh, Shunga Period
Creator Name-CRT
false
Title:
Triratna Pendant
otn
Triratna Pendant
Title
false
Title Type:
Primary
ott
Primary
Title Type
false
View:
Full View
rid
Full View
View
false
Creation Date:
185-72 BC
oct
185-72 BC
Creation Date
false
Creation Start Date:
-185
ocs
-185
Creation Start Date
false
Creation End Date:
-72
oce
-72
Creation End Date
false
Materials and Techniques:
gold
omd
gold
Materials and Techniques
false
Classification Term:
Jewelry
clt
Jewelry
Classification Term
false
Classification Term:
Jewelry
clt
Jewelry
Classification Term
false
Style or Period:
Shunga Period
std
Shunga Period
Style or Period
false
Dimensions:
Overall: 5.7cm
met
Overall: 5.7cm
Dimensions
false
AMICA Contributor:
The Cleveland Museum of Art
oon
The Cleveland Museum of Art
AMICA Contributor
false
Owner Location:
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
oop
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Owner Location
false
ID Number:
1973.66.1
ooa
1973.66.1
ID Number
false
ID Number:
1973.66.2
ooa
1973.66.2
ID Number
false
ID Number:
1973.66.3
ooa
1973.66.3
ID Number
false
Credit Line:
John L. Severance Fund
ooc
John L. Severance Fund
Credit Line
false
Rights:
orl
<a href="http://www.clemusart.com/museum/disclaim2.html"target="_new">http://www.clemusart.com/museum/disclaim2.html</a>
Rights
false
Context:
These necklace ornaments, a pivotal part of the larger hoard of gold from India, date to the Shunga period and have the distinction of representing the earliest gold jewelry surviving from this part of the world. Aside from these examples there is a pair of earrings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, but unlike the Cleveland pieces, which came from Uttar or Madhya Pradesh, the Metropolitan earrings are probably from Andhra Pradesh. The bead and pendants seen here were originally threaded, forming a necklace very much like the one depicted on the Shunga stone coping (see 1972.366). This type of necklace appeared in many other stone sculptures of the period, such as the famous yakshi (nature spirit) from Bharhut in the Indian Museum in Calcutta or yaksha from Pitalkhora in the National Museum in Delhi. The round center bead is decorated in the middle with a band of turtles, recalling Egyptian scarabs, and an intricate netting on the side with lotus flowers around the holes through which a necklace string was pulled. The two side pendants are in the triratna (three-jewels) shape, a common Buddhist symbol of the Shunga period as is the cross in the Christian tradition. It represents symbolically three segments of Buddhism: Buddha, its founder; Buddhist law (Dharma), and monastic order (Sangha). The symbol, while very popular in early Buddhism, disappears in later times. The repouss‚ technique and the extensive use of granulation work, done in 24-karat gold, are features used in early Indian jewelry, which shows close connections with the techniques prevalent in the Mediterranean world. The Alexandrian conquest of India in the late fourth century BC is the connection for such similarities. The granulation technique requires great skill, especially when the granules are very small, as is the case with these triratna pendants, particularly their background. Over that background the design of lotus flowers is imposed in larger granules. The technical difficulty arises when adhering the spheres to the sheet of gold. The Egyptians, for instance, were able to do it in such a way that almost all of the sphere remained above the surface of the base. The crucial element is controlling the heat applied to both parts--the gold sheet of the base and the granules--because excessive heat will melt the gold. Obviously the goldsmith responsible for these pieces of jewelry was an expert in matters of technique. S.C.
cxd
These necklace ornaments, a pivotal part of the larger hoard of gold from India, date to the Shunga period and have the distinction of representing the earliest gold jewelry surviving from this part of the world. Aside from these examples there is a pair of earrings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, but unlike the Cleveland pieces, which came from Uttar or Madhya Pradesh, the Metropolitan earrings are probably from Andhra Pradesh. The bead and pendants seen here were originally threaded, forming a necklace very much like the one depicted on the Shunga stone coping (see 1972.366). This type of necklace appeared in many other stone sculptures of the period, such as the famous yakshi (nature spirit) from Bharhut in the Indian Museum in Calcutta or yaksha from Pitalkhora in the National Museum in Delhi. The round center bead is decorated in the middle with a band of turtles, recalling Egyptian scarabs, and an intricate netting on the side with lotus flowers around the holes through which a necklace string was pulled. The two side pendants are in the triratna (three-jewels) shape, a common Buddhist symbol of the Shunga period as is the cross in the Christian tradition. It represents symbolically three segments of Buddhism: Buddha, its founder; Buddhist law (Dharma), and monastic order (Sangha). The symbol, while very popular in early Buddhism, disappears in later times. The repouss‚ technique and the extensive use of granulation work, done in 24-karat gold, are features used in early Indian jewelry, which shows close connections with the techniques prevalent in the Mediterranean world. The Alexandrian conquest of India in the late fourth century BC is the connection for such similarities. The granulation technique requires great skill, especially when the granules are very small, as is the case with these triratna pendants, particularly their background. Over that background the design of lotus flowers is imposed in larger granules. The technical difficulty arises when adhering the spheres to the sheet of gold. The Egyptians, for instance, were able to do it in such a way that almost all of the sphere remained above the surface of the base. The crucial element is controlling the heat applied to both parts--the gold sheet of the base and the granules--because excessive heat will melt the gold. Obviously the goldsmith responsible for these pieces of jewelry was an expert in matters of technique. S.C.
Context
false
Related Image Identifier Link:
CMA_.1973.66.1-3.tif
ril
CMA_.1973.66.1-3.tif
Related Image Identifier Link
false