
- Ewer
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Ewer
- Place of origin:
Gujarat (made)
- Date:
early 17th century (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown
- Materials and Techniques:
mother-of-pearl secured with iron pins, the base mounted with a brass fillet
Xray examination demonstrates that the closely similar ewers in the V&A and British Museum have no wood in their construction. - Museum number:
4258-1857
- Gallery location:
Europe 1600-1815, Room 7, The Sheikha Amna Bint Mohammed Al Thani Gallery, case CA14
This ewer and the set it belongs to are Indian in origin. They were made in Gujarat. However, when the V&A acquired the set in 1857, curators thought these pieces were Italian. This was because the set had a European shape. Another reason was that from about 1600 to 1700 European goldsmiths deliberately copied Gujarati mother-of-pearl work for both familiar and new forms. This created problems of identification for future scholars that still exist today.