Book Rest
c. 1900 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This book-rest was shown at the 1903 exhibition Indian Art at Delhi. It is made of bowenite, a hard variety of serpentine which comes from Bhera, in present-day Punjab, Pakistan, where it was carved. The gold-overlaid steel frame was made for it in Sialkot. The author of the exhibition catalogue, Sir George Watt, noted that the book-rest attracted great attention from visitors to the exhibition. Its maker was named as Mahomed Amin (of Bhera), and he was awarded a Second Prize in the category of lapidary work and a silver medal. The book-rest was bought from the exhibition by Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India and bequeathed to the V&A with other objects from his collection in 1927.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Bowenite, gold-overlaid steel |
| Brief description | Book rest, the stone carved in Bhera with a frame made for it in Sialkot, c. 1900. |
| Physical description | A book rest of green bowenite in a frame of gold overlaid steel. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | BOOK REST
Bowenite, carved; the steel frame overlaid with gold
Bhera and Sialkot
Mahomed Amin
c. 1902
IM.96-1927
Bequeathed by Lord Curzon of Kedleston, KG, GCSI, GCIE, DCL
This was probably made specifically for the spectacular 1903 exhibition held in Delhi to mark the succession of the British King and Queen, Edward VII and Alexandra, as Emperor and Empress of India. Bowenite, a variety of serpentine, comes from Bhera in present-day Pakistan, where the book rest was carved. The frame was made by craftsmen in Sialkot, a renowned centre for embellishing steel with gold. Mahomed Amin won a silver medal for his work which Curzon, Viceroy of India and organiser of the exhibition, bought. |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Lord Curzon of Kedleston, KG, GCSI, GCIE, DCL |
| Object history | Bought from the Delhi Durbar exhibition in 1903 by Lord Curzon. Illustrated in Sir George Watt, Indian Art at Delhi 1903, fig. 74 no. 7; see also pp. 72, 78. |
| Summary | This book-rest was shown at the 1903 exhibition Indian Art at Delhi. It is made of bowenite, a hard variety of serpentine which comes from Bhera, in present-day Punjab, Pakistan, where it was carved. The gold-overlaid steel frame was made for it in Sialkot. The author of the exhibition catalogue, Sir George Watt, noted that the book-rest attracted great attention from visitors to the exhibition. Its maker was named as Mahomed Amin (of Bhera), and he was awarded a Second Prize in the category of lapidary work and a silver medal. The book-rest was bought from the exhibition by Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India and bequeathed to the V&A with other objects from his collection in 1927. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IM.96-1927 |
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| Record created | November 14, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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