Brooch c. 1875
Gold and glass | 0.8 x 5.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 11497
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A scallop-edged brooch of red glass with pierced sheet gold depicting two portraits, supposedly the Prince and Princess of Wales. The portraits are bordered with a dedication to the Prince and Princess and a foliate border.
The plaque is made using a process called thewa (setting), which involves etching a design onto a thin sheet of gold, removing the excess gold to obtain the desired image by, and then fusing the pierced design onto the coloured glass using heat. This technique originated in Pratapgarh in Rajasthan in the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century. By the mid-nineteenth century thewa plaques were also made in Ratlam and Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Decorative plaques made using the technique of thewa usually depicted figures in courtly scenes or hunting and occasionally portraits such as this example. See RCIN 11499 for a matching necklace.
Provenance
Presented to King Edward VII, when Prince of Wales, during his tour of India in 1875-76 by Ranjit Singh, Raja of Ratlam.
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Medium and techniques
Gold and glass
Measurements
0.8 x 5.5 cm (whole object)
Place of Production
Ratlam [Madhya Pradesh]