Cabochon
c. 1900 (made)
| Place of origin |
These cabochons and plaques were fashioned in the Indian town of Khambhat (Cambay) and consist of agates and other so-called "Cambay Stones" (bloodstone, fossilised palm wood, labradorite, rutilated quartz and jadeite). The town, situated at the northern end of the Gulf of Khambhat, was once an important trading centre for the region but this has waned as the harbour silted up. Despite having no stone deposits of its own, Khambhat is renowned for the craft of agate-working and especially bead-making, with the raw materials coming from more distant sources.
Some of these would have been intended for jewellery, while others were burnishers used by artists or jewellers.
Some of these would have been intended for jewellery, while others were burnishers used by artists or jewellers.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 17 parts. (Some alternative part names are also shown below)
|
| Materials and techniques | Agate, bloodstone, fossilised palm wood, labradorite, rutilated quartz and jadeite, cut and polished using abrasives. |
| Brief description | Collection of seventeen cabochons and plaques in a range of shapes, sizes and colours, mostly agates, Cambay India, c. 1900. |
| Physical description | Cabochons of various sizes, shapes and colours. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by Mrs. Burney |
| Object history | These cabochons are from Cambay (Khambhat) in Bombay Presidency and were acquired in the early 1900s. They were kindly donated by Mrs. Burney of Bayswater in 1909. Given by Mrs. Burney, 72 Iverness Terrace, Bayswater, W. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project. AM 5340/1909 |
| Summary | These cabochons and plaques were fashioned in the Indian town of Khambhat (Cambay) and consist of agates and other so-called "Cambay Stones" (bloodstone, fossilised palm wood, labradorite, rutilated quartz and jadeite). The town, situated at the northern end of the Gulf of Khambhat, was once an important trading centre for the region but this has waned as the harbour silted up. Despite having no stone deposits of its own, Khambhat is renowned for the craft of agate-working and especially bead-making, with the raw materials coming from more distant sources. Some of these would have been intended for jewellery, while others were burnishers used by artists or jewellers. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IM.46:1 to 17-1909 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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