Not currently on display at the V&A

Cup

1800 to 1895 (made)
Place of origin

The cup was made in Cambay (Khambhat), India in the 19th century with most of the fashioning process involving a combination of hand-working and turning on a bow-driven lathe. Although agate is a tough and durable material, when it is worked to a fine edge or thickness it is vulnerable to damage when subjected to stress or impact.
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
Materials and techniques
Agate, cut and polished using abrasives and abrasive-charged tools, most probably fashioned using a bow-driven lathe.
Brief description
Cup, circular, short, recessed foot with rim, sub-translucent brown agate with opaque beige and very dark brown patches, dark repair to lip, Cambay India, 19th century
Physical description
A cup of circular form and having a short, recessed foot with rim, fashioned in sub-translucent brown agate with opaque beige and very dark brown patches. There is a repair to the lip using a dark brown filler.
Dimensions
  • 692 1903 diameter: 71.8 to 72.7mm
  • 692 1903 height: 35.85 to 36.8mm
  • 692 1903 depth: 30.90 to 31.75mm (Note: Depth from the rim, at the centre)
  • 692 1903 thickness: 2.20 to 2.45mm (Note: Thickness of the wall at the rim)
  • 692 1903 diameter: 31.3 to 31.7mm (Note: Diameter of the foot)
  • 692 1903 depth: 3.3 to 3.6mm (Note: Depth of the foot recess)
Dimensions vary with orientation
Credit line
W. H. Cope Bequest
Object history
This cup was fashioned in Cambay (Khambhat), India in the 19th century. It was acquired by William Henry Cope Esq. who valued it (together with 693-1903) at £6-10s. He bequeathed both to the museum in 1903.
Summary
The cup was made in Cambay (Khambhat), India in the 19th century with most of the fashioning process involving a combination of hand-working and turning on a bow-driven lathe. Although agate is a tough and durable material, when it is worked to a fine edge or thickness it is vulnerable to damage when subjected to stress or impact.
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.
Collection
Accession number
692-1903

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
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