Gem-Set Enamelled Gold Necklace (Guttapusalu) with Chevron-Striped Fish Pendants and Enamelled Fish Motifs on Reverse
Date20th century
PeriodBritish India/Princely States
MediumEnameled gold, diamonds, seed pearls, green glass beads, cord
DimensionsOverall: 17 in. (43.2cm)
ClassificationsJewelry
Credit LineGift of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Courtesy of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
Object number57.109
DescriptionThis type of necklace is called a guttapusalu. Gutta means “bunches of small fish, and pusal are beads. The necklace is lined with fish-shaped beads decorated with a red-and-white enamel in a chevron pattern. This necklace was created in the twentieth century, following the fall of Mughal India when the British Empire asserted colonial administration over much of the former empire. Having lost true political and military power, Indian nobility expressed their status visually through elaborate pieces of jewelry associated with kingship.On View
On viewCollections
18th - 19th century
