Cup & Saucer
c. 1850 (made)
Place of origin |
This cup and saucer would have been made primarily as an ornament rather than for use. Although agate is a tough and durable material, it is prone to crack when subjected to sudden and significant changes in temperature. Also, when worked to give fine edges or thicknesses, it is easily chipped or cracked when knocked. With this in mind, finely worked agate vessels that survive undamaged are uncommon.
The cup and saucer were made in Cambay (Khambhat), India in the 19th century with most of the fashioning process being a combination of hand-working and by turning on a bow-driven lathe.
Khambhat is situated at the northern end of the Gulf of Khambhat and 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.
The cup and saucer were made in Cambay (Khambhat), India in the 19th century with most of the fashioning process being a combination of hand-working and by turning on a bow-driven lathe.
Khambhat is situated at the northern end of the Gulf of Khambhat and 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.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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Materials and techniques | Moss agate, cut & polished using abrasives, most probably fashioned by turning on a bow-driven lathe |
Brief description | Cup and saucer, circular, each having a short recessed foot with rim, green moss agate, some damage, Cambay India, c. 1850 |
Physical description | A circular cup and saucer fashioned in green moss agate, with both having plain, polished surfaces and standing on a short recessed foot with rim. There is a chip taken out of saucer rim and it has been reattached and there is a chip missing from saucer's foot rim. |
Dimensions |
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Object history | These objects were formerly in The India Museum in London and they were then transferred to the South Kensington Museum (later renamed The Victoria & Albert Museum) in 1879. 1880 Register Entry: [Room 8. Case .] '01,380. CUP and saucer. Moss agate. ?51' |
Summary | This cup and saucer would have been made primarily as an ornament rather than for use. Although agate is a tough and durable material, it is prone to crack when subjected to sudden and significant changes in temperature. Also, when worked to give fine edges or thicknesses, it is easily chipped or cracked when knocked. With this in mind, finely worked agate vessels that survive undamaged are uncommon. The cup and saucer were made in Cambay (Khambhat), India in the 19th century with most of the fashioning process being a combination of hand-working and by turning on a bow-driven lathe. Khambhat is situated at the northern end of the Gulf of Khambhat and 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. |
Associated objects | |
Other number | ?51 - India Museum Slip Book |
Collection | |
Accession number | 01380(IS) to 01380A/(IS) |
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Record created | June 25, 2009 |
Record URL |
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