TWO GOLD ENAMELLED PENDANTS, NORTH INDIA, 19TH CENTURY

Oppi Untracht outlines the significance of the sacred, side-by-side footprint amulets in India: "It came into use for worship among Hindus and Buddhists to symbolize the deity's presence. Several Hindu gods, and Buddha, have been and are represented by such a symbol. Carved in stone, or formed in metal, the footprints depict what appears to be an impression of the soles of the standing deity's feet, upon which appear several symbols, all with specific reference to that deity". A similar example is in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (O. Untracht, Traditional Jewellery of India, London, 1997, p.107, no.177).