Veni

2011.91

Veni

2011.91

Description

Veni (Hair ornament for braid)
The ornament is made of sixteen round medallions with flower design attached to one other with tiny rings. Ghungroos hang from bell-shaped decorations attached to each medallion. Out of the sixteen medallions top most is in shape of full blown flower. It has two thick wires at the back for tucking the ornament to the braid.

Hair decoration is an important part of female adornment in India. It is one of the sixteen shringaras described by legendary Sanskrit poet Kalidasa. These ornaments are not mere decorations but they symbolise the celebration of life in romance and devotion.

The unique collection was collected by Veena Shroff in about six decades. Born in 1925, Veena Shroff was a keen student of Manipuri dance and had honour of performing in Uday Shankar’s dance dramas. Inspired by the aesthetic and symbolic beauty of the hair ornaments she started collecting them from a very early age. She did extensive research on hair styles and hair ornaments depicted in sculptures, terracotta, frescoes, and miniature paintings of different periods of Indian history.

Veena Shroff wrote several articles and a book on Indian Hair Styles. She organized several exhibitions of her collection in India as well as in other countries and also in the Festival of India in France. In the year 2005 the CSMVS had organized exhibition of her collection ‘Keshalankar- A Romantic Tradition- Hair Ornaments of India’.

From Veena Shroff Collection.

Collection

Jewellery

Object Type

Jewellery Hair ornament

Material

Silver

Schools/Culture/Period

--

Technique

--

Date

20th Century CE

Location

Maharashtra

Dimension

--