Chowry or fly whisk ('Chamer')
Fly Whisk
ca. 1855 (made)
ca. 1855 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Ceremonial fly whisks are emblems of royalty across the Indian subcontinent, regardless of the religious allegiance of the ruler, and are also used to indicate divinity. Thus, early Hindu and Jain sculptures often include attendants holding fly whisks next to the deity. Chauri - a plume of yak tail hair in an elaborate holder - are the most frequently used and depicted emblems of royalty. This example has a tail from a yak that would have been native to the Tibetan plateau, set in an opulent silver holder. The fly whisk was originally acquired by the Indian Museum in London in 1855, probably from the Paris exhibition of that year, and may have been made specifically as an exhibition piece. The brief accession record made by the Indian Museum gives its place of origin as Calcutta. The fly whisk was transferred to the South Kensington Museum in 1879.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Chowry or fly whisk ('Chamer') (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Yak's tail, silver handle |
| Brief description | Yak's tail with chased and engraved silver handle, Calcutta, India, c. 1850 |
| Physical description | A yak's tail is mounted on a silver handle that is cast, chased and engraved Ca. 1855. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label |
|
| Object history | Probably bought from the Exposition Universelle, Paris in 1855 by the India Museum in Leadenhall Street, London. Transferred to the South Kensington Museum in 1879. The hair or wool from tail of a yak that would have been from the Tibetan plateau is set in a handle. It is a fly whisk, representing a symbol of importance of the person over whom it was held. Chamer, Bengali for chowry, is also used during worship of a deity or shrine. The word 'chamer' is derived from 'chamri gai' meaning yak. |
| Summary | Ceremonial fly whisks are emblems of royalty across the Indian subcontinent, regardless of the religious allegiance of the ruler, and are also used to indicate divinity. Thus, early Hindu and Jain sculptures often include attendants holding fly whisks next to the deity. Chauri - a plume of yak tail hair in an elaborate holder - are the most frequently used and depicted emblems of royalty. This example has a tail from a yak that would have been native to the Tibetan plateau, set in an opulent silver holder. The fly whisk was originally acquired by the Indian Museum in London in 1855, probably from the Paris exhibition of that year, and may have been made specifically as an exhibition piece. The brief accession record made by the Indian Museum gives its place of origin as Calcutta. The fly whisk was transferred to the South Kensington Museum in 1879. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 2491(IS) |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
