Bowl
19th century (made)
| Place of origin |
This very deep bowl with sixteen lobes has two smaller cups, all made from the same block of jade, and was said to have been made in Lahore. It probably dates to the 18th or early 19th century. At some point in its history, the bowl was separated from its cover, which was eventually acquired by the museum (IS.36-1880) and the two pieces made from pale greyish green nephrite jade, polished all over, were reunited.
The bowl has a thin wall with a smooth but ridged internal surface and external decoration carved in low relief, with one set of alternating lobes/panels depicting flowering plants and with the other having depictions of individuals in a variety of poses and holding a selection of tools and weapons. These are bounded on the bottom by a border of leaf fronds and on the top by a continuous stem with leaves. In the lower border there is an attached leaf that has been used to plug a small hole in the vessel's wall. The bowl and cover fit well together irrespective of their relative orientation.
The integral handles have been fashioned as lidded cups of unequal size that are separated from the bowl by a small gap except for the lower point of attachment. These two cups have smooth interiors, and exteriors decorated with flowering plants carved in low relief. Each cup has a lower, integral finial and, on the opposite side to the bowl, a half of a hinge attachment that has been carved and pierced as a drooping flower bud.
The covers for the cups are domed with a smooth and polished interior and a rim that has been stepped to give a raised inner rim to help locate and secure them. The upper surface of each cover has surface decoration of two overlapping rows of petals, carved in low relief that encircle an attached finial that has been carved as a multi-petalled flower bud. There is also the integrally carved second half of a hinge through which each cover is attached to the cup and secured using a metal pin. There are a number of cracks around the body etc., all probably of natural origin with some being iron-stained.
The bowl has a thin wall with a smooth but ridged internal surface and external decoration carved in low relief, with one set of alternating lobes/panels depicting flowering plants and with the other having depictions of individuals in a variety of poses and holding a selection of tools and weapons. These are bounded on the bottom by a border of leaf fronds and on the top by a continuous stem with leaves. In the lower border there is an attached leaf that has been used to plug a small hole in the vessel's wall. The bowl and cover fit well together irrespective of their relative orientation.
The integral handles have been fashioned as lidded cups of unequal size that are separated from the bowl by a small gap except for the lower point of attachment. These two cups have smooth interiors, and exteriors decorated with flowering plants carved in low relief. Each cup has a lower, integral finial and, on the opposite side to the bowl, a half of a hinge attachment that has been carved and pierced as a drooping flower bud.
The covers for the cups are domed with a smooth and polished interior and a rim that has been stepped to give a raised inner rim to help locate and secure them. The upper surface of each cover has surface decoration of two overlapping rows of petals, carved in low relief that encircle an attached finial that has been carved as a multi-petalled flower bud. There is also the integrally carved second half of a hinge through which each cover is attached to the cup and secured using a metal pin. There are a number of cracks around the body etc., all probably of natural origin with some being iron-stained.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Nephrite jade and metal, fashioned, carved, pierced and polished using abrasives and abrasive-charged tools.. |
| Brief description | Bowl, circular, sixteen-lobed with two integral handles fashioned as cups with attached covers, external decoration carved in low relief, with cover no. IS.36-1880, pale greyish green nephrite jade, Lahore India, formerly in the Guthrie Collection |
| Physical description | A deep bowl, generally circular but sixteen-lobed with a scalloped rim and two integral handles fashioned as cups with attached covers, and standing on a short, slightly flared, recessed foot with rim. Fashioned in pale greyish green nephrite jade and polished all over. The bowl has a thin wall with a smooth but ridged internal surface and with external decoration carved in low relief, with one set of alternating lobes/panels depicting flowering plants and with the other set of panels having depictions of individuals in a variety of poses and holding a selection of tools, weapons etc. These depictions are bounded on the bottom by a border of leaf fronds and on the top by a continuous stem with leaves. In the lower border there is an attached leaf that has been used to plug a small hole in the vessel's wall. The bowl and cover [IS.36-1880] fit well together irrespective of their relative orientation. The integral handles have been fashioned as lidded cups of unequal size that are held separated from the bowl by a small gap except for the lower point of attachment. The two handles/cups have smooth interiors with the exteriors decorated with flowering plants carved in low relief. Each cup has a lower, integral finial and, on the opposite side to the bowl, a half of a hinge attachment that has been carved and pierced as a drooping flower bud. The covers for the handles/cups are domed with a smooth and polished interior and a rim that has been stepped to give a raised inner rim to help locate and secure them onto the handles/cups. The upper surface of each cover has surface decoration of two overlapping rows of petals, carved in low relief, that encircle an attached finial that has been carved as a multi-petalled flower bud. There is also the integrally carved second half of a hinge through which each cover is attached to the handle/cup and secured using a metal pin. There are a number of cracks around the body etc., all probably of natural origin with some being iron-stained. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | From the Guthrie collection bought by the Indian Museum in 1868 and transferred to the South Kensington Museum in 1879. The lid was separated from the bowl, and sold at the auction of Guthrie's estate in 1875, where it was bought by Arthur Wells of Nottingham for £30.18s. He sold it to the museum in 1880. |
| Summary | This very deep bowl with sixteen lobes has two smaller cups, all made from the same block of jade, and was said to have been made in Lahore. It probably dates to the 18th or early 19th century. At some point in its history, the bowl was separated from its cover, which was eventually acquired by the museum (IS.36-1880) and the two pieces made from pale greyish green nephrite jade, polished all over, were reunited. The bowl has a thin wall with a smooth but ridged internal surface and external decoration carved in low relief, with one set of alternating lobes/panels depicting flowering plants and with the other having depictions of individuals in a variety of poses and holding a selection of tools and weapons. These are bounded on the bottom by a border of leaf fronds and on the top by a continuous stem with leaves. In the lower border there is an attached leaf that has been used to plug a small hole in the vessel's wall. The bowl and cover fit well together irrespective of their relative orientation. The integral handles have been fashioned as lidded cups of unequal size that are separated from the bowl by a small gap except for the lower point of attachment. These two cups have smooth interiors, and exteriors decorated with flowering plants carved in low relief. Each cup has a lower, integral finial and, on the opposite side to the bowl, a half of a hinge attachment that has been carved and pierced as a drooping flower bud. The covers for the cups are domed with a smooth and polished interior and a rim that has been stepped to give a raised inner rim to help locate and secure them. The upper surface of each cover has surface decoration of two overlapping rows of petals, carved in low relief that encircle an attached finial that has been carved as a multi-petalled flower bud. There is also the integrally carved second half of a hinge through which each cover is attached to the cup and secured using a metal pin. There are a number of cracks around the body etc., all probably of natural origin with some being iron-stained. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 02596(IS) |
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| Record created | September 27, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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