Walking Stick Handle
| Place of origin |
This walking-stick handle has been fashioned from a single piece of nephrite jade and then it has been carved with recesses then inset with gold and stones. It was acquired by William Tayler during his time in India and bought from him by the museum in 1874. 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 | Nephrite jade, rhodolite garnet, gold and turquoise, fashioned carved and polished using abrasives and abrasive-charged tools, probably by turning on a bow-driven lathe. |
| Brief description | Walking stick handle, mushroom shaped with a round, domed top on an integral stem, pale greyish green nephrite jade, inset gold, rhodolite garnet and turquoise cabochons, Lucknow India |
| Physical description | A mushroom shaped walking stick handle with a round, domed top on an integral stem that has a slightly eccentric hole down part of its length. Fashioned in pale greyish green nephrite jade, the stem and underside of the top have been inset with gold in a flowering plant design. The edge of the top has been inset with 34 of 35 small turquoise cabochons (one is missing) in gold settings, between two fine, inset gold bands. The top has been decorated in a six-fold symmetric design of inset gold, twelve pale rhodolite garnet and seven turquoise cabochons. The garnet cabochons have been set in closed back, mirrored and coloured settings which have since deteriorated with subsequent loss of colour. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | This walking stick 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 £10-0-0. 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 | This walking-stick handle has been fashioned from a single piece of nephrite jade and then it has been carved with recesses then inset with gold and stones. It was acquired by William Tayler during his time in India and bought from him by the museum in 1874. 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 | 691-1874 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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