Not currently on display at the V&A

Footed Cup

c. 1850 (made)
Place of origin
Cambay (made)

This cup made from bloodstone was fashioned in the Indian town of Khambhat (Cambay) which is situated at the northern end of the Gulf of Khambhat and was once an important trading centre for the region until 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. The cup was formerly in The India Museum in London and transferred to the South Kensington Museum (later renamed the Victoria & Albert Museum) in 1879.


Object details

Categories
Drinking
Food Vessels & Tableware
Gemstones
Hardstone
India Museum
Object type
Footed cup
Materials and techniques
Bloodstone, carved and polished using abrasives and abrasive-charged tools.
Bloodstone
Brief description
Footed cup, bloodstone, Cambay India, 19th century
Physical description
A short, round cup with a bowl that flares as it nears the rim and which stands on a flat, round foot linked by a narrower, very short stem. Carved and polished in bloodstone with white veining and patches near the rim. There is also a hairline crack extending down from the rim.
Dimensions
  • 01388( is) diameter: 68.2 to 68.6mm (Note: External diameter of the cup at the rim)
  • 01388( is) diameter: 21.4 to 23.1mm (Note: Diameter of the stem)
  • 01388( is) diameter: 44.3 to 44.9mm (Note: Diameter of the foot)
  • 01388( is) height: 62.6 to 63.1mm (Note: Overall height)
  • 01388( is) depth: 39.5mm (+/- 0.5) (Note: Depth of the cup from the rim)
  • 01388( is) thickness: 1.1 to 2.0mm (Note: Thickness of the wall at the rim)
  • 01388( is) thickness: 6.1 to 6.4mm (Note: Thickness of the foot)
Dimensions vary with orientation
Object history
This object was formerly in The India Museum in London and it was then transferred to the South Kensington Museum (later renamed The Victoria & Albert Museum) in 1879. 1880 Register Entry: [Room 8. Case .] '01,388. CUP. Bloodstone.' (No slip number given.)
Summary
This cup made from bloodstone was fashioned in the Indian town of Khambhat (Cambay) which is situated at the northern end of the Gulf of Khambhat and was once an important trading centre for the region until 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. The cup was formerly in The India Museum in London and transferred to the South Kensington Museum (later renamed the Victoria & Albert Museum) in 1879.
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
01388(IS)

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O450844/footed-cup/
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