South India, Tamil Nadu Region, ca. 19th century CE. These gold earrings hinge open and have an abstract, geometric style that shows a cobra wearing a protective jewel and laying an egg. These earrings are called "Thandatti" because they represent the three levels of our world - the terrestrial, astral, and divine. These objects would have been worn by women in the Tamil Nadu region, which is the southeastern tip of India closest to Sri Lanka. Size: Each earring is 1-3/4"L x 2"W x 1-1/2" H.

They are made of sheet gold filled with lac and are meant to represent an egg-laying cobra. Extensive iconography exists regarding these works and would have been given to daughters by their parents before marriage of prestige and as a symbol of fertility. Examples can be found in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum, NY, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva, Switzerland.

Provenance: Ex-private Ravsen Collection, CT.

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Some of the gold is dented in places but these are still functional and look like they could have been made yesterday aside from very small patina near the hinges.