Chauri Handle
| Place of origin |
The cup of this handle for a flywhisk (chauri) was made in India, probably in the 18th century, while the shaft seems to be a later associated piece. It is made of white nephrite jade, green nephrite jade, gold, silver, turquoise and iron/steel. The cup was intended to hold a yak's tail, and such flywhisks traditionally indicated divinity or royalty. As such, they were held above sacred images or near royal figures. They were among the essential attributes of Hindu kings, and served the same purpose in the Muslim courts of the subcontinent as they did in later Sikh courts. The handle of this example has been fashioned in two parts from nephrite jade of different colours. This hard and durable material that requires patience and skill to work. Although it is a hard material, when it has been worked to give fine edges or thicknesses, it can be prone to damage by sharp impacts. The function of the object, the materials used, and the level of workmanship, all suggest that this would have been made for a person of some means or importance.
This was bought by the museum from William Tayler, and was supposed to have come from Lucknow. Tayler was educated in England at Charterhouse and also spent a term at Christ Church, Oxford. He entered service with the East India Company on 30th April 1829, arriving in India in October of the same year. He held various posts in Bengal and was appointed Commissioner of Patna in 1855. During his service, he was able to acquire many objects, including hardstones, relating to the customs and religions of India as well as objects from other parts of South Asia. He was criticised for his handling of the uprisings in Northern India and was moved to a lesser post before being suspended, ultimately resigning on 29th March 1859. He then practised as an advocate in the law courts of Bengal before returning to England in 1867. He wrote a book about his experiences, entitled Thirty-eight Years in India in which he states that "After my return to England, circumstances induced me, though with great reluctance, to part with the collection which is now in the South Kensington Museum".
This was bought by the museum from William Tayler, and was supposed to have come from Lucknow. Tayler was educated in England at Charterhouse and also spent a term at Christ Church, Oxford. He entered service with the East India Company on 30th April 1829, arriving in India in October of the same year. He held various posts in Bengal and was appointed Commissioner of Patna in 1855. During his service, he was able to acquire many objects, including hardstones, relating to the customs and religions of India as well as objects from other parts of South Asia. He was criticised for his handling of the uprisings in Northern India and was moved to a lesser post before being suspended, ultimately resigning on 29th March 1859. He then practised as an advocate in the law courts of Bengal before returning to England in 1867. He wrote a book about his experiences, entitled Thirty-eight Years in India in which he states that "After my return to England, circumstances induced me, though with great reluctance, to part with the collection which is now in the South Kensington Museum".
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | White nephrite jade, green nephrite jade, gold, silver, turquoise and iron/steel. Fashioned using a variety of techniques, including the use of abrasives and abrasive-charged tools. |
| Brief description | Chauri handle, white nephrite jade shaft, greyish green nephrite jade cup with carved leaf design, stones including turquoise in gilt settings, Lucknow. |
| Physical description | A chauri (fly whisk) handle with an octagonal shaft fashioned in white nephrite jade shaft that tapers from the cup to the small carved finial terminal. The cup has been fashioned in greyish green nephrite jade cup that has been decorated with six evenly-spaced leaves carved in low relief. The cup, which sits on an integral roundel, has been attached to the stem by a ferrous metal rod that penetrates a short distance down the shaft and into the cup. The outer face of the cup has been inset with six small, pear-shaped colourless cabochons in reflective, closed-back silver mounts that were once coloured red but which have since deteriorated and faded. Four of the stones are in gold settings and two in gold or once-gilded settings which have now tarnished and many of the stones have significant cracking. The roundel has six small, equally-spaced, round turquoise cabochons inset in gold around its edge. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | This chauri (fly-whisk) handle was acquired by William Tayler during his time in India (1829-1867). He subsequently sold it to the South Kensington Museum (later renamed The Victoria & Albert Museum) in 1874 for the sum of £6-0-0. William Tayler was educated in England at Charterhouse and also spent a term at Christ Church, Oxford. He entered service with the East India Company on 30th April 1829, arriving in India in October of the same year. He held various posts in Bengal and was appointed Commissioner of Patna in 1855. During his service, he was able to acquire many objects, including hardstones, relating to the customs and religions of India as well as objects from other parts of South Asia. He was criticised for his handling of the uprisings in Northern India and was moved to a lesser post before being suspended, ultimately resigning on 29th March 1859. He then practised as an advocate in the law courts of Bengal before returning to England in 1867. He wrote a book about his experiences, entitled Thirty-eight Years in India, in which he states that "After my return to England, circumstances induced me, though with great reluctance, to part with the collection which is now in the South Kensington Museum". |
| Summary | The cup of this handle for a flywhisk (chauri) was made in India, probably in the 18th century, while the shaft seems to be a later associated piece. It is made of white nephrite jade, green nephrite jade, gold, silver, turquoise and iron/steel. The cup was intended to hold a yak's tail, and such flywhisks traditionally indicated divinity or royalty. As such, they were held above sacred images or near royal figures. They were among the essential attributes of Hindu kings, and served the same purpose in the Muslim courts of the subcontinent as they did in later Sikh courts. The handle of this example has been fashioned in two parts from nephrite jade of different colours. This hard and durable material that requires patience and skill to work. Although it is a hard material, when it has been worked to give fine edges or thicknesses, it can be prone to damage by sharp impacts. The function of the object, the materials used, and the level of workmanship, all suggest that this would have been made for a person of some means or importance. This was bought by the museum from William Tayler, and was supposed to have come from Lucknow. Tayler was educated in England at Charterhouse and also spent a term at Christ Church, Oxford. He entered service with the East India Company on 30th April 1829, arriving in India in October of the same year. He held various posts in Bengal and was appointed Commissioner of Patna in 1855. During his service, he was able to acquire many objects, including hardstones, relating to the customs and religions of India as well as objects from other parts of South Asia. He was criticised for his handling of the uprisings in Northern India and was moved to a lesser post before being suspended, ultimately resigning on 29th March 1859. He then practised as an advocate in the law courts of Bengal before returning to England in 1867. He wrote a book about his experiences, entitled Thirty-eight Years in India in which he states that "After my return to England, circumstances induced me, though with great reluctance, to part with the collection which is now in the South Kensington Museum". |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 615-1874 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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