Box and Lid
ca. 1865 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Decorative papier mache was a speciality of Kashmir and was made for both the local and European markets. Painted and varnished wood was often used in place of true papier mache from the later 19th century onwards, but the finest work was produced by building up layers of moistened paper in a mould to the required shape, which was then smoothed, painted and varnished.
This box was transferred to the South Kensington Museum (now V&A) from the India Museum in London in 1879 when the latter museum's collections were dispersed. The box had been acquired by the India Museum in 1867 and was presumably shown in the Paris Universal Exhibition of that year as a fine example of India's decorative arts.
This box was transferred to the South Kensington Museum (now V&A) from the India Museum in London in 1879 when the latter museum's collections were dispersed. The box had been acquired by the India Museum in 1867 and was presumably shown in the Paris Universal Exhibition of that year as a fine example of India's decorative arts.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Papier mache, painted and varnished |
| Brief description | Domed box with lid: papier mache, painted and varnished, Srinagar, Kashmir, c.1865 |
| Physical description | Domed-shaped round box and cover, with figurative and floral decoration. Papier mache, painted and varnished. The box is divided by vertical lines into eight segments of decoration. These alternate between scenes of birds in foliage, in which green, blue, pink and white are the dominant colours, and scenes with human figures and other creatures on a gold ground. |
| Gallery label | 2. BOX
Papier mache, painted and varnished
Srinagar, Kashmir, c.1875
02350(IS)(2001) |
| Object history | Transferred in 1879 from the collections of the India Museum to those of the South Kensington Museum. The India Museum slipbook entry (number 6651) records the box as received from Kashmir in 1867, having presumably been in the Paris Universal Exhibition of that year. The price seems to have been 15 shillings, although the abbreviation for 'shillings' is difficult to read. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Decorative papier mache was a speciality of Kashmir and was made for both the local and European markets. Painted and varnished wood was often used in place of true papier mache from the later 19th century onwards, but the finest work was produced by building up layers of moistened paper in a mould to the required shape, which was then smoothed, painted and varnished. This box was transferred to the South Kensington Museum (now V&A) from the India Museum in London in 1879 when the latter museum's collections were dispersed. The box had been acquired by the India Museum in 1867 and was presumably shown in the Paris Universal Exhibition of that year as a fine example of India's decorative arts. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 02350(IS) |
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| Record created | July 24, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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