Paandaans and Pashminas up for grabs

With India’s rich and famous moving towards the ‘traditional look’ for their houses, the market for antique and traditional furniture and collectables has been steadily moving north in terms of price and availability. A scion of a software corporation was seen consulting Maher Dadha, chairman & managing director of Bid & Hammer, over a portrait-holder, fabricated by the House of Faberge in the early 1800s. The 4ftx2.5ft gilded piece with onyx doors depicts a boar hunt scene with the hunters in Russian headgear, and has a large gilded boar as its head-piece.

“The presence of the boar clearly indicates that this is not a piece that could have been owned by a Muslim ruler,” explains Dadha. “In fact women in the Rajput ruling families practiced purdah, and the queen’s portrait would be kept inside such a portrait-holder so that it could be opened and seen only by the king.”

The unusual selection of jewellery on auction will include a ‘neck to navel’ necklace (Rs70 lakh), a hansli of very fine workmanship (Rs7.50 lakh), broaches of European style crafted by Indian craftsmen in the 1930s (Rs3.25-Rs3.75 lakh), traditional Rajasthani, Gujarati and south Indian period jewellery worn by royals, as well as other collector’s items made of precious gem stones and studded with diamonds, emeralds, pearls, rubies and gold (prices ranging from Rs2.5 lakh to Rs75 lakh). The silver and silver-plated section will include paandaans, miniature toys, jewellery boxes and rose water sprinklers, amongst others, that have been handcrafted in the traditional style with Indian mythological themes.

The other collectables include a Rs15-lakh pashmina wool sari with matching shawl, and a Rs1.35 lakh Rajasthani ghaghra-choli ensemble in magenta with intricate zari work. “Our family got this exquisite jamawar and sari custom-made on their annual sojourn to Kashmir in 1915. It was preserved by three generations. But now we felt it’s time to let go since maintaining it was so tough,” says Altaf Ali Meerza, 49, a descendant of the Nawabs of Murshidabad, who lives in Kolkata.

The other piece attracting attention from many was a 1910 Mughal style silver paandaan (Rs6 lakh) fashioned into a 27cm high and 28cm wide Taj Mahal, each part of which could be used to store various ingredients of the paan which was a staple of social customs at the time.  

Janaki Vaidyanathan, 27, who is part of the management team with a leading watch-manufacturer, had come to see the collection before the auction. “I want to see what I can bid for since I’m getting married in late March. I am on the look-out for details on how old the jewellery and the jeweller are. After all, even one such item can make a bride’s overall look jump several notches. Since the pieces are being sold after authentication, I will also be guaranteed a good investment,” she said, impressed with the enameling work on the necklaces even on the sides, which are not visible when it is worn. She admits her heart is set on a 1920s Tiffany-made diamond-and-emerald necklace with matching earrings, but found the Rs75 lakh price daunting. “With 250 round, 150 baguettes, 193 pears and marquise diamonds and 24 emeralds, this 73.7 carat piece will definitely be sought after by buyers,” she says holding it up against herself. 

The bride-to-be is hoping her next option, a Deccani necklace with earrings (Rs4.25 lakh), might be within reach. The 22-carat gold necklace is studded with strands of uncut diamonds and rubies in the shape of a half-moon. “This attention to detail shows how these objects were created with a lot of love, which is what makes them so special.”