A gem-set enamelled-gold tiger bazuband
North India, 19th Century
in the form of a rosette with openwork foliate motifs to each side, small suspension loops between each petal, a tiger reclining in the central roundel, decorated in polychrome enamel with bubri motifs to the tiger and petals to the surround, the reverse with a central roundel containing a large rosette, surrounded by floral motifs, later mounted as a brooch
5.8 cm. long; 25 g.
Footnotes:
A bazuband is a form of jewellery worn around the upper arm, normally consisting of one or three hinged sections that are then tied. A popular item of adornment worn by both men and women, they have a long history within India, often appearing in Mughal paintings of courtly life, with elaborate armlets being a sign of royalty (see O. Untracht, Traditional Jewellery of India, London, 2008, p. 354). For an example of a Mughal bazuband later converted into a brooch and featuring a lion sold at Christie's, see Maharajas and Mughal Magnificence, 19 June 2019, lot 166.