Andrew Nethercott Antiques has dated this piece to the 1880s.
Steel hinge jointed stylus and hollow ground blade in a stag antler handle.
In very good condition with no splits or excessive wear.
Length 3,3/8" or 84mm, weight 55 grams.
The Chettiars lived in large houses with their extended families, a caste group with a mercantile caste occupation, traditionally involved in commerce, specifically with money changing, money lending and trading that developed into banking.
Other than in southern India, prominent Chettiar communities established themselves in Southeast Asia, particularly Rangoon and Singapore.
The wealth that derived from their occupation was strengthened by their diaspora in Burma, Sumatra and Malaysia. Wealthy members of this community developed a preference for massive, often fort-like mansions (called nattukottai) in Chettinad, many of which housed the extended family and which took up whole blocks in village streets. These mansions were sumptuously decorated. The fortunes of the Chettiars declined after the Second World War. Rising nationalism and ethnic tensions resulted in wealth being consfiscated and traditional sources of income lost.
Andrew Nethercott Antiques has dated this piece to the 1880s.
Works of art, collectables, scientific and decorative antiques from the 17th - 20th century
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Indian Manuscript Chettiar Palm Leaf Bookkeeper’s Knife Antler Scribes Chit Tally Antique
