Cup
| Place of origin |
This cup seems to have been originally intended to be the cover for a lidded vessel. It was made in India, probably within the Mughal empire, in the late 18th or early 19th century. It has been fashioned out of a single crystal of clear quartz with carved decoration. Rock crystal is a hard and durable material which requires patience and skill to fashion objects especially when using basic equipment such as bow-driven lathes and wheels.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Rock crystal. Fashioned, carved and polished using abrasives and abrasive-charged tools, with part of the process involving the object being turned on a bow-driven lathe. |
| Brief description | Cup, small, round, floral motifs, rock crystal |
| Physical description | A small, shallow, round cup with an uneven and oddly formed base. Fashioned, carved and polished in rock crystal, with flowers carved in low-relief around the sides. There are some natural cracks and flaws present with some damage to the rim where the cracks are close to the surface. The odd formation of the base combined with the unusual form, suggest that the cup was originally intended to be a cover for a vessel. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | This cup was formerly in The India Museum in London and it was then transferred to the South Kensington Museum (later renamed The Victoria & Albert Museum) in 1879. 1880 Register Entry: [Room 8. Case .] '01,349. CUP. Small, crystal, floral ornaments.' (No slip number given.) |
| Summary | This cup seems to have been originally intended to be the cover for a lidded vessel. It was made in India, probably within the Mughal empire, in the late 18th or early 19th century. It has been fashioned out of a single crystal of clear quartz with carved decoration. Rock crystal is a hard and durable material which requires patience and skill to fashion objects especially when using basic equipment such as bow-driven lathes and wheels. |
| Bibliographic reference | The art of India and Pakistan, a commemorative catalogue of the exhibition held at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1947-8. Edited by Sir Leigh Ashton. London: Faber and Faber, [1950]
p. 231, cat. no. 1210 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 01349(IS) |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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