An oblong ivory casket.
Box
ca. 1880 (made)
ca. 1880 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
From the 1840s onwards, many painters in miniature at Delhi in India were producing series of paintings depicting renowned Mughal rulers or monuments. These were aimed at the growing number of British visitors who came to the city. These miniatures were sometimes mounted in jewellery, but more commonly they were fitted on furniture or boxes of ebony or ivory, such as this example, which is intricately pierced and carved. The leading manufacturer of this type of work was Lala Faqir Chand, whose workshop was very likely to have been responsible for the production of this piece.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | An oblong ivory casket. |
| Materials and techniques | Carved and pierced ivory, mounted with miniatures in gouache on ivory, with silver hinges |
| Brief description | Box; ivory; An oblong ivory casket with miniatures of Mughal monuments, Delhi, ca. 1880. |
| Physical description | The casket is carved in openwork and supported by four winged elephants. The lid fastens with silver hinges, the lock of which is missing. The casket is decorated with eight silver-mounted miniature paintings in gouache on ivory, depicting Mughal monuments. On the top: The Qutb Minar, Delhi; the Taj Mahal, Agra. At front: The Jama Masjid, Delhi; the Lahore gate of the Delhi Fort. On the back; The Moti Masjid, Delhi; the Diwan-i Khas, Delhi. On the right end: An unidentified archway. On the left end; Humayun's tomb, Delhi |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by J. C. O'Dwyer |
| Object history | Presented by J.C. O'Dwyer. Dalrymple, William and Sharma, Yuthika (eds). Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi, 1707-1857. New York : Asia Society ; New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press, 2012. ISBN 9780300176667 ; 030017666X. p. 193, cat. no. 96. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Places depicted | |
| Summary | From the 1840s onwards, many painters in miniature at Delhi in India were producing series of paintings depicting renowned Mughal rulers or monuments. These were aimed at the growing number of British visitors who came to the city. These miniatures were sometimes mounted in jewellery, but more commonly they were fitted on furniture or boxes of ebony or ivory, such as this example, which is intricately pierced and carved. The leading manufacturer of this type of work was Lala Faqir Chand, whose workshop was very likely to have been responsible for the production of this piece. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.2-1957 |
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| Record created | January 17, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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