This 14k gold Edwardian pencil case is a rare piece that depicts the four vices of the Hindu concept of Kali Yuga or “The Age of Vice.” The long, narrow rectangular case is adorned with relief detailing on both sides, and the bottom tip slides off, allowing a small pencil to fit inside the hollow case. The intricate relief images depict a dancing woman, a deck of cards, a bottle of champagne, and a racing horse. The images are a reference to Kama (Desire), the vice of sensual desire and indulgence; Krodha (Violence), the vice of cruelty and loss of compassion; Madya (Intoxication) and its destructive path; and Juta (Greed), the reckless pursuit of wealth at any cost. The images served as an artistic commentary on the ethical dilemmas of the Edwardian era—and was perhaps worn with a bit of irony that both condemned and celebrated the moral decline witnessed in the early twentieth century.
The pencil case is attached to a 5.5 x 7 mm bail and looks amazing worn as a pendant. The case measures 3 1/4” x7/16” and weighs 12 grams. The bottom piece of the case is marked with 14k 3 and the maker’s mark of a B with a trident through it—the mark for Battin & Co., a prominent jewelery maker at the turn of the century in Newark, New Jersey.
