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An ornate crescent necklace and gold diamond-shaped pendant, featuring a symmetrical flowing arrangement of green, blue, pink, and golden floral motifs and figures in precious metals, stones and beads.
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  • An ornate crescent necklace and gold diamond-shaped pendant, featuring a symmetrical flowing arrangement of green, blue, pink, and golden floral motifs and figures in precious metals, stones and beads.
  • An ornate crescent necklace and gold diamond-shaped pendant, featuring a symmetrical flowing arrangement of green, blue, pink, and golden floral motifs and figures in precious metals, stones and beads.

Unknown Maker, Nepalese

Necklace with Garuda and Attendants

Maker

Unknown Maker, Nepalese

Culture

Nepalese

Title

Necklace with Garuda and Attendants

Year

1800s

Medium

  • Gilt silver,
  • lapis lazuli,
  • Rock crystal,
  • tinted glass,
  • mother-of-pearl,
  • Rubies,
  • sapphires,
  • emeralds,
  • mica,
  • and aquamarine

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Gilt silver,
  • Lapis lazuli,
  • Rock crystal,
  • tinted glass,
  • mother-of-pearl,
  • Rubies,
  • sapphires,
  • emeralds,
  • mica,
  • and aquamarine

Materials

metal, lapis, emerald, turquoise

Geography

Place Made: Nepal

Dimensions

26 x 22 x 2.5 cm (10 1/4 x 8 11/16 x 1 inches) laying flat/exhibition

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Marshall H. Gould

Object Number

46.082

Type

  • Jewelry

Exhibition History

Being and Believing in the Natural World
Perspectives from the Ancient Mediterranean, Asia, and Indigenous North America
Oct 22, 2022 – Jun 04, 2023

Label copy

The Hindu god Vishnu takes on different forms to maintain order in the world, often accompanied by divine animals. Here an elaborate carving of Shesha, a seven-headed serpent, frames Vishnu, singing praises from his many mouths. For Hindus, serpents protect and nourish the underground realms.

The necklace in the case below features a blue- winged hybrid figure of the mythical Garuda bird and Vishnu adorned with jewels. The half-man and half-bird motif, popular for amulets, protects the wearer from illnesses connected with water and serpents. The ritual dagger features Hayagriva, a wrathful horse-headed being who can destroy demons. Hayagriva is one of Vishnu’s avatars.

—WC

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Nepalese
Necklace with Garuda and Attendants, 1800s
Gilt silver, lapis lazuli, rock crystal, tinted glass, mother-of-pearl, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, mica, and aquamarine
26 x 22 x 2.5 cm (10 1/4 x 8 11/16 x 1 inches) laying flat/exhibition
Gift of Marshall H. Gould 46.082

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Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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