1938.1.26

Silver chatelaine with small brush, tweezers, ear scoop, nail cleaner and toothpick. Filigree work decorated with green and coral? beads. [JP 31/10/2001]

Place details: ASIA. Tibet (China) / India? / Nepal? / / Tibetan Border. Cultural Group: Southern Asia, Lepcha: Local Name: Unknown. Materials: Silver Metal / Coral? / Bead / ?. Processes: Filigree / ?. Field Collector: Thomas David Gibson-Carmichael When Collected: By 1938 Other Owners: Thomas David Gibson-Carmichael Louis Colville Gray Clarke PRM Source: Louis Colville Gray Clarke Acquired: Donated 1938

KEYWORD: Toilet Article / Waist Ornament / Tool? / CLASS: Toilet / Ornament / Tool? / ?.

Publications history, trails & websites: Mentioned in L.C.G, Clarke's essay 'Modern Survivals of the Sumerian Chatelaine' in Essays presented to C. G. Seligman, edited by Evans Pritchard, Firth, Schapera and Malinowski, London: Kegan Paul, Trench and Trubner & Co (1934), p. 43: 'I have a fine long silver chatelaine set with turquoise and coral, from the Lepchas on the Tibetan borders, in which this implement [sickle-shaped toothpick] appears together with the ordinarypointed toothpick, tweezers and an ear-pick, and small brush. This type, I believe, is found in Kazzan graves of ninth century A. D.' (note: this curve-ended tool is more likely to be a nail cleaner than another toothpick) [HH 16/12/2010]