Not currently on display at the V&A

Dish

Place of origin
India (made)
Iran (made)

This dish has been fashioned in as a decorative but still practical object, in a relatively soft and easily worked material.


Object details

Categories
Food Vessels & Tableware
Gemstones
Hardstone
Object type
Dish
Materials and techniques
Possibly steatite/soapstone. Carved and polished using abrasives and abrasive-charged tools.
Brief description
Wine cup, marquise/boat-shaped, shallow recessed foot with rim, greenish beige, of unknown composition but possibly steatite/soapstone, cracked, India or Iran ?
Physical description
A dish or bowl of marquise/boat-shaped form, having smooth interior and exterior surfaces and a shallow, recessed foot with rim. Fashioned in a sub-translucent, greenish beige stone of unknown composition (but possibly steatite/soapstone) with orangey patches, having a dull polish and a greasy lustre. There are several cracks present which appear to have occurred in a number of separate events. There is also evidence of a fairly recent, minor impact with associated scratches towards one end and additional, similarly fresh scratches on the same side but at the opposite end.
Dimensions
  • 654 1876 length: 152.5mm (+/- 0.5) (Note: External length at the rim)
  • 654 1876 width: 86.9mm (Note: External width at the rim)
  • 654 1876 height: 42.65mm
  • 654 1876 depth: 38.2mm (Note: Internal depth from the rim, at the centre)
  • 654 1876 thickness: 2.2 to 2.8mm (Note: Thickness of the wall at the rim)
  • 654 1876 length: 83.5mm (Note: Length of the foot)
  • 654 1876 width: 33.5mm (Note: Width of the foot)
Dimensions vary with orientation
Object history
This dish was purchased by the South Kensington Museum for the sum of 12 shillings.
Summary
This dish has been fashioned in as a decorative but still practical object, in a relatively soft and easily worked material.
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
654-1876

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O472622/dish/
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