Jhumar, (hair ornament)

Object Details

• Label

  Women's hair ornaments (passas) from the state of Punjab were worn attached to each other by a cord over the head. Hanging on either side of the forehead, they are called passas," meaning "sides." During the Mughal period, this type of hair ornament became prevalent in India and was often included in a bride's dowry. Made in the late nineteenth century, this pair reflects the continuation of an aspect of Mughal taste after the decline of the empire. The "diamond-cut" technique applied to the decoration imparts extra brilliance to the twenty-four-carat gold.

• Provenance

  From about 1890

  Mrs. Bhagwan Kaur, Punjab, India, from about 1890 [1]

  To 1988

  Ms. Rajinder K. Keith and and Ms. Narinder K. Keith, Washington, DC, by descent from Mrs. Bhagwan Kaur, to 1988 [2]

  From 1988

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, given by Ms. Rajinder K. Keith and and Ms. Narinder K. Keith in 1988

  Notes:

  [1] These ornaments were made in c. 1890 for Mrs. Bhagwan Kaur, wife of Sardar Thakur Singh Keith, a Revenue Officer in the state of Punjab.

  They were then handed down to her daughter-in-law, and eventually to her grand-daughters (the donors) who now reside in the Washington area.

  For more family history, see object file (according to Provenance Remark 1 in the object record).

  [2] See note 1.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Arts of Mughal India (1992) (May 24 to December 6, 1992)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Mrs. Bhagwan Kaur

  Rajinder Kaur Keith

  Narinder Kaur Keith

• Origin

  Punjab, India

• Credit Line

  Gift of Rajinder K. Keith and Narinder K. Keith in honor of their mother, Sardarni Karam Kaur Keith

• Type

  Jewelry and Ornament

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1900s, 1880s

• Name

  Kaur, Bhagwan, Keith, Rajinder Kaur, Keith, Narinder Kaur

• Place

  Punjab, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Gold, Art, Wirework, Metal-work

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Ornaments, Jewelry