Pairs of gold ear ornaments, Thandatti

These extravagant gold ear ornaments were gifted to a young woman by her parents on her wedding day, as part of her dowry. They are of two types, pambadan and thandatti (seen here). Neither form has a clear design lineage and their forms may ultimately relate to the asymmetrical ear ornaments worn by Shiva, the tutelary deity of the Vellala Nadar caste, the landed-owning gentry of Tamil Nadu. The thandatti has an abstract, highly geometricized form constructed of cubic, spherical and rectangular elements. The goldsmithing is of a high standard and the design unique to these communities. They have a concealed hinged device allowing the ornament to be opened to secure it in a distended earlobe. Although giving the appearance of having considerable weight, they are in fact lac-filled and surprisingly light.