Inkstand
1866 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
As is confirmed by the maker's inscription, this western-style inkstand was made in Nagina, a town in the Bijnor District of the United Provinces celebrated for its high quality cabinetwork in ebony or ebonized wood. The artists who made such pieces were Muslim and the carved decoration of their wares consisted principally of floral and geometric motifs, sometimes with finely carved inscriptions and verses of poetry in Persian. The high quality of such articles confounded contemporary critics, who were astonished that superior objects of this type were being made at such a distance from both raw materials and patronage.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Carved ebony, with silver lock, hinges and mounts |
Brief description | Inkstand, ebony, Nagina, 1866. |
Physical description | Rectangular Ink-stand of ebony carved with foliate and geometric designs with canted corners. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions | Made by Abdullah Mistry, son of Nur Muhammad, resident of Nagain in the zila of Bijnur, in 1283 hijri' (1) Decoration 2) Makers's mark) |
Object history | Transferred from the India Museum in 1879. 1880 Register Entry: [Room 8. Wall Case 30.] '01,172. INK STAND. Carved ebony; Bijnore, Bengal. 6,691' |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | As is confirmed by the maker's inscription, this western-style inkstand was made in Nagina, a town in the Bijnor District of the United Provinces celebrated for its high quality cabinetwork in ebony or ebonized wood. The artists who made such pieces were Muslim and the carved decoration of their wares consisted principally of floral and geometric motifs, sometimes with finely carved inscriptions and verses of poetry in Persian. The high quality of such articles confounded contemporary critics, who were astonished that superior objects of this type were being made at such a distance from both raw materials and patronage. |
Bibliographic reference | Jaffer, Amin Furniture from British India and Ceylon: A Catalogue of the Collections in the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum. London : V&A Publications, 2001. 416 p., ill. ISBN 1851773185.p.265, pl.92. |
Other number | 6691 - India Museum Slip Book |
Collection | |
Accession number | 01172(IS) |
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Record created | November 29, 2002 |
Record URL |
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