This scent bottle was bought by the East India Company servant William Tayler during his time in India, and sold to the museum in 1874. It was apparently acquired in Lucknow, in present-day Uttar Pradesh. It illustrates the skills of craftsmen who were trained within the Mughal court tradition, but by this period were moving to regional centres. The scent bottle has been fashioned from a single piece of nephrite jade, a hard and durable material that requires patience and skill to work. This is especially true when the process requires the nephrite to be hollowed out to form vessels, as here. The bottle probably dates from the 18th century, but the stones set in gold seem to be later additions, probably made at the end of the 18th century or in the early 19th century. They consist of 32 turquoise cabochons, and 40 pale rhodolite garnets mounted in reflective, closed back, coloured gold settings which show evidence of deterioration and loss of colour.
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".