Ceylonese jewellery / jewelry
Silver & Gold Brooch with Amethysts & Zircon
Lowlands, Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
19th century
length: 4.7cm
weight: 11g
This elegant brooch comprises clear stones, probably zircons, and amethysts, in a gold and silver setting.
Ceylonese silversmiths and other craftsmen produced items with Dutch influence during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This brooch is one example, which has parallels with eighteenth century European jewellery, albeit with South Asian motifs: the brooch employs lotus-like
katiri mala flower motifs for example.
Such brooches were the basis for the
kerosang brooches used by the Straits Chinese and Malay women in Malaysia and Singapore. Such brooches were used in place of buttons to keep blouses closed. Many were produced by expatriate Tamil craftsmen.
This brooch is in a stable, wearable condition.
References
A brooch of similar construction is illustrated in Coomaraswamy, A.K., Mediaeval Sinhalese Art, Pantheon Books, 1956, plate XLIX.
Inventory no.: 835
SOLD