{"title":"New Acquisitions","description":"A selection of the latest items acquired by Joseph Cohen Antiques. Our stock is constantly updating, so there will always be some additional items in our shop which have not yet been researched or photographed and therefore do not appear on the website.  If you have a specific requirement please contact us and we shall try our very best to assist.  If you would like to receive details of a selection of our most interesting new stock arrivals, please sign up below for our newsletter.","products":[{"product_id":"antique-batavian-dutch-colonial-silver-salver-circa-1786","title":"Antique Batavian\/Dutch Colonial Silver Salver - Circa 1786","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThis square silver Batavian tray with ornamented rim and corners. A makers mark “IAT” on the rim.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eWorking for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Batavia during the 18th century allowed many Dutchmen to gain considerable wealth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThe Dutch administrators displayed large collections of porcelain, glass and earthenware in their homes, but their silver collections were the most lavish and prized.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eWe can account for their large collections of silver from the records compiled after the death of an official, which listed all the items owned or held within his household.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSources: Eliens, Titus. Silver from Batavia. zwolle: Wbooks, 2012.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eProvenance: Europe\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eWeight: 854 grams, Length: 31 cms, Width: 31 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eItem: #189\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"IAT","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31593064202330,"sku":"JC-SILV-06777","price":2750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Batavian-Dutch-Colonial-Silver-Salver-Circa-1786.jpg?v=1577934625"},{"product_id":"antique-burmese-silver-pierced-bowl-maung-hywet-nee-late-19th-c","title":"Antique Burmese Silver Pierced Bowl, Maung Hywet Nee - Late 19th C.","description":"This large Burmese silver bowl is of the highest quality and was probably made especially for an exhibition. Most unusually, it is numbered. It has also been signed to the underside of the base in English, rather than Burmese script. At this time, many silversmiths were illiterate and signed their work with a unique pictorial mark rather than script but Maung Hywet Nee (also translated as Maung Kywet Ni or Maung Chwet Nee) signed his work in writing and we have sold examples of his work, signed in Burmese script, previously. The number and the use of English indicate that the bowl was probably made for an International exhibition rather than a Burmese event. Maung Hywet Nee was a master silversmith who is recorded as working in Moulmein before moving to Rangoon, who is known to have exhibited at local and international exhibitions. This bowl may have been exhibited at the Burma Court of The Colonial and Indian Exhibition, held in South Kensington, London, from 4 May to 20 November 1886. The catalogue states “A fine collection of gold and silver ware from Rangoon, and also from the Shan States, exemplifies the well-known and highly-esteemed silver-work of Burma.” These exhibitions sought to showcase the ‘best of the best’ in every field in order to maximise prestige and to stimulate trade. The inscription to the underside of the bowl states:-\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eNo 319\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eMaung Hywet Nee\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eLatter Street\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eRangoon\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003eAn old street map of Rangoon shows that Latter Street ran north from the river towards Canal Street. It was situated in the heart of Rangoon’s commercial district and close to some of the international clubs and meeting places popular with the international community living or trading there.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis bowl has been ornamented with great artistry and incredible skill. The design has been well planned and the execution is precise, the silver has been fashioned with the greatest care. We are amazed at how crisp, sharp and fresh the work still is, unblemished, the condition is still as perfect as the day the bowl was made. The ornament has been crafted using repousse, chasing and hand piercing techniques. The principal border features seven Renaissance inspired tondos - roundels with figural scenes - which are framed by paddy wreaths. These alternate with a depiction of a single celestial or angelic winged figure. The tondos and figures are suspended within the most delicate tracery of hand cut and chased silver which forms an intricately patterned backdrop of long curling tendrils and small leaves. The top of the principal border echoes the shape of the rim above and each scallop has been chased with a series of closely packed vertical lines, providing textural interest.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe tondos and the angelic winged figures depicted between them have been influenced by the Eastern and Western artistic traditions. Angels can be found in the Christian, Islamic and Jewish holy books and feature in their religious art. They are usually perceived as benevolent celestial beings who act as messengers between God, or Heaven, and Humanity. Celestial nymphs are also found in the Buddhist tradition. One story tells of Buddha taking his brother, Nanda, on a journey to heaven where they encounter beautiful celestial nymphs. The figures depicted on the bowl all have wings and each figure has been depicted in a different pose. Some of these figures are male and others female but their features are all distinctly Burmese. The poses of some of the figures and the modest way in which some of their naked bodies have been covered, shows the influence of European Renaissance art. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The seven scenes depicted in the tondos are:- \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA fight between a poorly dressed man on an elephant wielding a knife and a finely dressed man on horseback who is brandishing a sword; A woman walking in the countryside and carrying a basket of fruit on her head encounters a chinthe who has been watching her approach; A king holding a weapon with his left hand as he also holds the antler of a mythical creature resembling a satyr, who he is pinning down. The composite creature has a human torso and is clothed to the waist, whilst the lower part of his body is that of a deer. The creature has his hands together as if pleading for mercy; A poor man is visiting a bearded and poorly dressed hermit who is living in a cave; The king is sitting with his consorts or perhaps his family whilst another older man (possibly a high ranking courtier or visiting king) is hidden from view behind the throne. The king's arm is placed around the shoulders of one of the women in a protective gesture; A king is standing near a tree, he holds a dagger in his left hand, as if ready to stab. There is a mythical creature called a belu behind him who is watching. In Burmese folklore, belus were ogres, man-eating humanoid beings capable of shifting shape. Some belus were malevolent and others benevolent, they appear in the Jataka tales and in the Yama Zatdaw, a Burmese version of the Ramayana. The final tondo depicts a seated king with three women. The king holds his drawn sword aloft in his right hand and has pinned a female down with his left. The lady to the right has crossed her arms and watches, the lady to the left, kneels demurely with her eyes averted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnderneath the principal border and to the lowest part of the bowl is a plain silver border with a pronounced lotus petal edge finished with a beaded border. Above this, a bold vegetal border provides contrast through its strong lines and textured surface finish providing a matte ground. The tops of the outward curling leaf of the tallest leaves, have no texture and appear to be highlighted. These leaves alternate with a series of three smaller water cabbage leaves. Each leaf has been separated from its neighbours by a single large tear-shaped piercing between adjacent leaves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo the top of the bowl, a plain silver border forms the rim, providing strength and rigidity to the whole structure and protecting the pierced panels below. The lower edge of the silver has been cut and scalloped. This plain border sits above a panel of elegant naturalistic scrolling foliage alternating with a four-petal flower, all in bas-relief. Below a two strand twist border with each ‘thread’ beaded to the outer edge. This panel has also been pierced. The beaded edge of the 'threads', echo in the narrow beaded border below.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis bowl is exceptional; an antique Burmese silver bowl of large size which is still in the same condition as when it was first purchased and shows no wear. Made in Rangoon in the late 19th century, it has been fully signed by the maker, Maung Hywet Nee, a master silversmith, known to have participated in International Exhibitions of the late nineteenth century. The design is of breathtaking complexity, an absolute tour de force, which has been flawlessly executed with supreme skill and must have taken hundreds of hours of painstaking labour to complete. Numbered to the underside, it is very likely that this bowl was exhibited at one of the great International Exhibitions of the era.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProvenance:- European art market\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDimensions:- Height 23 cms; Width 30 cms\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWeight:- 1940 grammes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReferences:-\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHarry L. Tilly, The Silverwork of Burma by with photographs by P Klier, Rangoon 1902\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHarry L. Tilly, Modern Burmese Silverwork, Superintendent, Government Printing, Rangoon, Burma; 1st edition (1904)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWynyard R T Wilkinson, Indian Silver 1858-1947: Decorative Silver from the Indian Sub-Continent and Burma Made by Local Craftsmen in Western Forms, page 36, W Wilkinson \u0026amp; Indar Pashrical Fine Arts, London 1997\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWynyard R T Wilkinson, Mary-Louise Wilkinson and Barbara Harding, Burmese Silver from the Colonial Period, Arts of Asia, May-June 2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Colonial and Indian Exhibition 1886, Official Catalogue, page 64, William Clowes and Sons Limited, London London, 1886","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31593067282522,"sku":"JC-SILV-06778","price":10000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique_Burmese_Silver_Pierced_Bowl_Maung_Hywet_Nee_-_Late_19th_C.jpg?v=1581822185"},{"product_id":"pair-of-antique-burmese-silver-sweetmeat-dishes","title":"A Pair, Antique Burmese Silver Sweetmeat Dishes - Circa 1870","description":"\u003cp\u003eThese delightful Burmese silver sweetmeat dishes are of the highest quality and exhibit superb craftsmanship. They would have been made for the European colonial market and combine traditional Burmese ornamentation with a form derived from the European classical revival movement.  Of oval shape, each dish is supported on a plain silver pedestal foot with a striking Grecian style rolled handle to the top, which was derived from Grecian revival furniture, popular in Britain during the first half of the nineteenth century. The exterior of the handle has been finely incised, suggesting bark and there are growth rings at the ends, suggesting a trunk of teak wood from the Burmese forest, which was one of Burma’s most important natural resources and principal exports. The bowls have been ornamented using repousse, chasing, and engraving techniques.  The dishes have an unusual deckled edge to the top rim of the bowls which is a masterpiece of fine hand cutting.  This edge forms the top of a double row border of upright leaves, probably acanthus, which lies above the principal scenes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBelow the leaf border is a succession of architectural arches with a figure in traditional Burmese dress crouching underneath each archway. These architectural arches and the chased foliate ‘wallpaper’ which surrounds each figure are both features of silver made in Rangoon.  Below the figures is a carpet of stylised flower heads. Most niches contain one figure; the figures have been well drawn and are anatomically correct with their clothing highly detailed.  Each figure assumes a natural pose; some figures are chatting to their neighbours as they rest and gesturing with their hands. Many are carrying things from their daily life; one has a basket on their back, a woman holds a covered bowl, another has a cushion. Some of the men have tools or weapons, one has a rice flail, another a hammer. Some of the figures are mythical, one is an ogre or demon.  There is a depiction of a peacock in full display, representing the Kombaung royal house.  One scene shows a youth with an umbrella, which indicates his royal or high born status. He is shyly holding the hand of the girl under the neighbouring arch.  Another scene shows a man and ogre wrestling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dishes have both been ‘signed’ to the undersides of their bases with a finely rendered peacock pictorial.  The engraving is naturalistic, the peacock perches in the bough of a tree with his head turned and looking upwards. His magnificent tail drapes downwards showing four rows of eye feathers and he is surrounded by a floral bower.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany Burmese silver makers used a peacock pictorial, with each maker’s pictorial different from those used by other makers. The name of this maker is not known. The peacock was the official emblem of the Konbaung kings; their monarchs wore peacock insignia on their robes and famously sat atop the Peacock Throne until their rule was toppled by British colonialists. The use of the peacock symbol increased during the British colonial period, when it became a loyalist and anti-colonial symbol and the peacock is still used today in Burma as a potent national symbol.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eUK Antiques Trade\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eHeight 8.5cms; Width 8cms; Length 15cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCombined Weight:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e542 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Colonial and Indian Exhibition 1886, Official Catalogue, page 64, William Clowes and Sons Limited, London London, 1886\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHarry L. Tilly, The Silverwork of Burma by with photographs by P Klier, Rangoon 1902\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHarry L. Tilly, Modern Burmese Silverwork, Superintendent, Government Printing, Rangoon, Burma; 1st edition (1904)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWynyard R T Wilkinson, Indian Silver 1858-1947: Decorative Silver from the Indian Sub-Continent and Burma Made by Local Craftsmen in Western Forms, W Wilkinson \u0026amp; Indar Pashrical Fine Arts, London 1997\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWynyard R T Wilkinson, Mary-Louise Wilkinson and Barbara Harding, Burmese Silver from the Colonial Period, Arts of Asia, May-June 2013\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31593069740122,"sku":"JC-SWEE-06779","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/A-Pair-Antique-Burmese-Silver-Sweetmeat-Dishes-Burma-1870.jpg?v=1599100059"},{"product_id":"antique-chinese-silver-rosewater-sprinkler-qing-dynasty-china","title":"Antique Chinese Silver Rosewater Sprinkler, Qing Dynasty, China","description":"This antique Chinese silver sprinkler was made in Canton in the middle of the 19th century. Despite its age, it can still be easily disassembled by unscrewing the various parts, which allows the globular container to be filled with scent. The rose, or sprinkler, is in the shape of a flower, ornamented with chasing, which tops an elegant elongated neck flaring gently outwards towards the top and bottom. The line of the neck is interrupted by one protruding flanged knop, which facilitates grip and allows the rose to be unscrewed from the neck. The lowest part of the neck is encircled by a border of large perpendicular acanthus leaves above a convex ring knop with plain borders, also ornamented with flowers and leaves. A similar but larger knop ornaments the short stem between the globular body and the pedestal foot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFour panels of ornament, of two designs, adorn the top of the foot. Two are unframed and show paeony flowers, buds and foliage, a popular Chinese design. These alternate with two panels in collar shaped frames which show fruits, possibly strawberries, with foliage. These panels have been ornamented using repousse and chased techniques.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe reservoir which contains the rosewater has no ornamentation to the area nearest the top but around the widest part, there is a riotous border of flowers and foliage. The leaves arch and curl, showing great movement and the veins of the leaves and the centres of the flowers have been finely and expertly chased showing both great expertise and restraint.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Sprinkler has two silver marks to the underside of the base, the ‘Gothic K’ mark and a Chinese character mark. The ‘Gothic K’ mark was used between the years of 1830 and 1880, approximately. The photo of the underside of the vessel also shows a distinctive quadri-lobed nut, a characteristic and distinctive shape which is only ever found on silver objects of Chinese origin. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Canton retail silversmith who used the ‘Gothic K’ mark, created a wide range of objects including items of Judaica and Islamic silver of Chinese form but with little Chinese ornamentation, suggesting that a significant portion of their clients were either Muslim or Jewish. Rosewater sprinklers were used ceremonially by Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews as well as by Muslims, at weddings, feasts and in welcoming ceremonies. There were a significant number of affluent Jewish and Muslim merchants living in Hong Kong and China who were involved in the China Trade during the late 19th century. They came mainly from India, the Middle East or countries along the Silk Road as did other traders living in these parts who were also involved in trading with China.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDimensions:- Height 31 cms; Width 8 cms\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWeight:- 352 grammes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProvenance:- European art market\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReferences:-\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAdrien Von Ferscht, Chinese Export Silver 1785-1940, The Definitive Collectors’ Guide, 4th Edition, 2015","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31593105686618,"sku":"JC-ROSE-06781","price":1800.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique_Chinese_Silver_Rosewater_Sprinkler.jpg?v=1581827186"},{"product_id":"antique-silver-mop-snuff-box-depicting-napoleon-china-1810","title":"Antique Silver \u0026 M.O.P. Snuff Box Depicting Napoleon, China 1810","description":"This very fine silver snuff box features finely engraved and bas-relief mother of pearl panels and is of rectangular shape with canted corners. The decoration has been executed in Canton in the Chinese style, save for the principal carved panel to the lid, which has been copied from a French medallion. This relief plaque features Napoleon Bonaparte in a framed classical scene entitled ‘LE TIROMPHE DE TRAJAN’ (sic), ‘The Triumph of Trajan’ and bears the legend ‘Venit Vidit Vicit’; ‘he came, he saw, he conquered’. It is most likely that the box would have been commissioned in Canton around 1810 by a French sea captain or trader, who would have provided a medallion bearing the design of the principal plaque for the pearl carver to copy. The box would have probably been intended for his personal use or possibly purchased as a gift.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt first sight, it is not obvious that the classical scene to the top of the box has been copied from a commemorative die-stamped token issued in Paris on 31stDecember 1805, to celebrate Napoleon’s acceptance of the new title proposed for him by the Tribunat, ‘Napoleon le Grand’ or ‘Napoleon the Great’, on 30th December.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis title was offered to Napoleon after his greatest and most important victory of the Napoleonic Wars at the Battle of Austerlitz, (sometimes referred to as ‘The Battle of the Three Emperors’) on 2nd December 1805, when he inflicted a crushing victory over Czar (Tsar) Alexander I of Russia and Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II of Austria.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNapoleon drew many parallels with ancient Rome in his attempts to legitimize and strengthen his post revolutionary imperial rule and build his personal myth on the journey from republican hero to imperial triumphator. He wished his own French Empire to outshine that of Rome, the greatest empire of ancient times.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOf all the events held in Rome, processional triumphs were the most magnificent and spectacular pageants in its history and are depicted in great detail in the sculptural scenes on monuments such as Trajan’s Column, Marcus Aurelius’ Column and the Arch of Trajan in Benevento. Many drawings have been made of these, including those by Piranesi, through which the French would have accessed the iconography used in designing the medallion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Emperor Trajan, identified by Gibbon as one of the ‘Five Good Emperors’, is generally regarded as the best Roman emperor of all. He was a soldier emperor who ruled from 98 AD until his death in 117 AD and his reputation as a good and great Emperor has survived intact. He presided over the greatest military expansion in Roman history, conquering Dacia, Armenia and Mesopotamia and the lands of the empire reached their zenith at the time of his death. Trajan was also known for his justice, philanthropy, extensive public building programme and social welfare reforms. Napoleon hoped to emulate him and ‘borrow’ glory from being identified with this legendary figure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe principal panel depicts Napoleon, dressed in Roman costume, seated in a chariot and holding a sceptre in his left hand. The chariot is pulled by four horses and driven by the winged figure of Victory who is holding the reins with her left hand and has turned towards Napoleon, offering him a frond of palm and a laurel wreath crown with her outstretched right hand. Minerva stands at the back of the chariot holding her shield above the head of the Emperor in a protective gesture. In the sky above, a winged cherub holds an incense burner in his right hand, the smoke wafting towards Napoleon. To the right hand side of the panel is one rayed star, perhaps an oblique reference to the former King Louis XIV being known as Le Roi-Soleil or The Sun King, i.e. the sun’s dynasty has ended and a new star now shines brightly in the sky. Louis XIV had been depicted in similar fashion as an imperial triumphator in his chariot, a popular theme in post renaissance France, which Napoleon resurrected to serve his own purposes. The border has been executed in the Chinese style and engraved with the favourite Tang dynasty design of squirrels with grapes and vine leaves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe sides of the box are decorated with eight bas-relief panels, carved in the Chinese style, with the four larger panels featuring naturalistic landscape designs with trees, plants, buildings, boats, birds and figures and the four smaller panels (at the canted corners) each featuring a single stylized floral motif. To the base of the box is a finely engraved mother of pearl panel in the Chinese style with a vacant circular cartouche with geometric border, surrounded by naturalistic chrysanthemum sprays, the whole within a decorative geometric border. The silver mounts are not marked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a rare and fascinatingly complex cross cultural silver and mother of pearl box from the Chinese Qing dynasty period which would have been commissioned by a French sailor or trader in the Port of Canton, made by Chinese silversmiths and pearl carvers and features Napoleon in the guise of Trajan, the Emperor of Rome. A unique object which celebrates the achievements of three of the world’s greatest empires, separated in time by 1,700 years.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e UK art market\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e Height, 2 cms, width 6.5 cms, depth 4.8 cms\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAchille Collas, Tresor de Numismatique et de Glyptique ou Receuil General de Medailles, Monaies, Pierres Gravees, Bas-Reliefs etc. Didier et Cie, Paris 1858, page 137, illustrated page 536\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDiana Rowell, Paris: The ‘New Rome’ of Napoleon I, Bloomsbury Academic, London and New York 2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEdward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, W Strahan and T Cadell, London 1776-88","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31593129377882,"sku":"JC-SNUF-06784","price":3800.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique_Silver_and_MOP_Snuff_Box_Depicting_Napoleon_China_1810.jpg?v=1581892597"},{"product_id":"antique-chinese-straits-silver-coffee-pot-circa-1900","title":"Antique Chinese Straits Silver Coffee Pot - Circa 1900","description":"This stylish antique silver coffee pot is a fantastic example of Straits silverware, fusing elements of Chinese and Malay design. We believe it was made around 1900. Coffee, rather than tea, was the favoured beverage in many Straits homes. This coffee pot is a wonderfully rich amalgam of the Chinese and Malay cultures. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe pot is of good size and weight. It has been made with high grade silver and ornamented with great finesse. Some features of the form, such as the chrysanthemum bud finial to the lid, the faux bamboo silver handle and spout and the melon form of the lower part of the pot are wholly Chinese. However, the ornamentation to the cover and lower part of the body are mostly drawn from the Malay, rather than the Chinese, tradition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSilversmiths from the native Malay tradition and immigrant silversmiths from the Chinese tradition, co-existed in Malaysia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In her introduction to Roth's book, Oriental Silverwork, Malay and Chinese, Sylvia Fraser-Lu states that around 300 Chinese silversmiths were working in Singapore around 1900 and that there were a further 1,300 in Malaysia in 1905. 'Chinese craftsmen ..... were able to reproduce traditional Malay-style objects in flawless craftsmanship'. They were '.... immigrant Chinese silversmiths from Southern China who fashioned a variety of jewellery, bed ornaments, and items for hospitality and ritual used by the prosperous, long-established Malaysian Chinese families.' \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe craftsmanship is superb and of the highest quality which indicates that this was the work of a master silversmith. The pot features a domed hinged lid topped by a segmented chrysanthemum bud-shaped finial. The silver handle and spout are curvaceous and naturalistic, imitating bamboo; the opening at the mouth of the spout is zoomorphic. Practically, the handle also contains insulators. The body of the pot is tall with a wide straight neck which flares out at the top and bottom giving the pot a ‘low waist’. Overall, the shape resembles a drip filter coffee pot in a style popular in continental Europe during the 19th century. The lower part of the body is melon shaped, a shape also encountered in Chinese silver teapots of similar age. The pot is supported by a plain silver pedestal foot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe lid has been ornamented using repousse and chased techniques. Surrounding the base of the chrysanthemum bud finial is a ruyi border. The dome of the lid is divided into four areas of ornamentation, separated by ribbons of plain silver. Each section contains a naturalistic portrayal of a flowering plant with its foliage; one of the designs features an orchid. The four designs are all different and the background to the designs has been softly hammered. The flat rim of the lid is encircled by a geometric chased border of typical Malay ‘mountain ranges’ ornament.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe neck of the vessel has been ornamented with borders to the top and bottom only with no ornament to the centre part. This allows the plain silver ground to contrast with the richly ornamented, darkened, punched and hammered areas. This textural variation adds richness and interest, holding the viewer's attention. There are scalloped edges to the sides of the borders facing the centre of the neck which recall the shape of a Chinese court collar. The background to the repousse borders has been finely punched and darkened. The top border features bats, symbolising good fortune. This ornamentation draws on the Chinese tradition whilst the lower border depicts naturalistic vegetal elements in typical Malay style.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are four principal panels to the lower, bellied, part of the pot. They lie under a geometric meander pattern border which is a traditional Chinese pattern known as Huí Wén and represents rebirth. It has been used in China as far back as the Neolithic period, becoming prominent during the Ming dynasty. A corresponding border of tessellating waves lies underneath the principal panels. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe four principal panels are quatrefoil in shape with each panel depicting an artistic arrangement of leafy stems with fruits and seedpods. The fruits and seeds represent a wish that the union would be fruitful and that the couple would be blessed with children. The ground outside the pictures and to the corners, has been softly hammered.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis represents a very rare opportunity to purchase an antique Chinese Straits silver coffee pot of great style and superb quality in fantastic original and undamaged condition. The design and execution are superb and there is an admirable play of light, shade, contrast, balance and textural variation which captures the interest and attention of the viewer. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo the underside of the base, there are two silver marks, the initials PE and a silver fineness mark of 935, showing the purity of the silver to be higher than sterling at 935\/1000. The style of the silver marks, particularly the fineness mark, suggests that the pot was taken to Europe and assayed, probably in Germany, in the 1920s or 30s\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDimensions:- Height 22.5 cms; Width 21.5 cms\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWeight:- 558 grammes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProvenance:- \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReferences:-\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePatricia Bjaaland Welch, Chinese Art - A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery, Tuttle Publishing, Vermont USA, 2008\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChinese Export Silver 1785-1940, The Definitive Collectors’ Guide, 4th Edition, 2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eH Ling Roth, Oriental Silverwork, Malay and Chinese with an introduction by Sylvia Fraser-Lu, Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur 1993","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31593133015130,"sku":"JC-COFF-06785","price":1800.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique_Chinese_Straits_Silver_Coffee_Pot.jpg?v=1581897371"},{"product_id":"antique-english-silver-gilt-cup-kutch-style-hancocks-and-co-1870","title":"Antique English Silver Gilt Cup, Kutch Style, Hancocks \u0026 Co - 1870","description":"This splendid silver gilt cup and cover was made by the prestigious firm of Hancocks \u0026amp; Company, which held the Royal Appointment to Queen Victoria, and both pieces bear their full and clear hallmarks showing that the silver was assayed in London in 1870. The cup is in remarkable, original condition and the gilding, to the interior and exterior, is still deep and sumptuous with only the slightest signs of wear or use. The detail is very fine and beautifully crisp and the gauge of metal is very thick.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe form of this cup and cover is European but the ornamentation takes its inspiration from the Indian silver tradition. The design is thought to have been inspired by the completion of the submarine or sub-ocean telegraph cable, by the British Indian Submarine Telegraph Company, which was laid between Cornwall, England and Bombay, India, which opened to the public on 14th March 1870. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis incredible engineering achievement brought about a technological revolution, allowing rapid and reliable communication between the two countries for the first time, strengthening their ties and greatly facilitating trade. A message from England to India would now take between 5 and 10 minutes to arrive in India, which was remarkably fast. Importantly, this enterprise also established new connections with many other countries it passed along the route of the cable, for example, Portugal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe stepped cover has architectural echoes and is topped by a striking bud finial, underpinned by a row of petals, representing a lotus. It sits above an octagonal spire. The style of the flowers and foliage which ornament the cover are distinctly Kutch in style with the acanthus leaves, a favourite motif of the earlier Mughal dynasty, also used in Kutch silverwork. The prominent handles to either side of the cup are also ornamented with acanthus leaves and Mughal silver handles were frequently ornamented in a very similar way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe large cup has a deep bowl and stands on a domed foot supported by a thick octagonal stem. The composition is very skilful, with elements repeating at intervals, creating balance, harmony and cohesion. For example, the beaded border to the edge of the foot is repeated just above the point at which the bottom of the handle has been attached to the body and the faceted stem has been balanced by the faceted spire of the cover above.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe ornamentation of the foot and stem, with its acanthus leaf borders, simple flower heads and elongated acanthus leaves to the stem, also follow the Kutch tradition. The ornamentation of the bowl has been divided into two principal panels separated by narrow repeating geometric borders. The upper panel depicts grapes and vine leaves, a universal symbol of conviviality, also part of the Kutch design repertoire. The entwined vines run horizontally around the bowl whilst, in contrast, the sixteen garlands of foliage in the lower panel run vertically from top to bottom, down to the base of the bowl.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe firm of Hancocks was founded on 1st January 1849 by Charles Frederick Hancock, previously a partner of Storr \u0026amp; Mortimer. He opened his first shop at 37 Bruton Street, London, with a manufacturing workshop next door. Only eight months later, they had received the Royal Appointment of Queen Victoria and some spectacular commissions. The firm exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851 with an impressive display of silver. Within a short space of time, they had also secured Appointments to the Russian, Italian, Belgian, German, Austrian and Portuguese royal families. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHelped by the firm’s extremely rapid expansion and its Royal Appointments, in 1856 Mr Hancock was also granted the prestigious award of designing and producing the Victoria Cross, which is still made, exclusively, by the company today. This medal was introduced on 29 January 1856, by Queen Victoria, to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War. The first Victoria Cross medals were presented by her in 1857. According to tradition, the metal used to make the medals comes from Russian cannon captured at the Siege of Sebastopol.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe firm was restyled Hancock, Son \u0026amp; Company in 1866 on the semi-retirement of the founder, Charles Frederick Hancock. At the same time, Charles’ son, Mortimer, became a partner, together with Henry Dore and Horatio Stewart. Three years later the company was renamed Hancocks \u0026amp; Company, with C F Hancock retiring completely in the early 1970s after his other son, Charles Frederick Junior, had also joined the partnership. The Hancocks silver mark, to the underside of the base of this cup, was entered on 22nd January 1870.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAround the time that the cup and cover were made, Hancocks exhibited in international exhibitions in Paris in 1867 and Vienna in 1873, where the firm was awarded the Emperor’s gold medal for Science and Art, in addition to the ‘Prize Medal’. Examples of the firm's silverware can be found in many museums and high profile collections.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCondition – Excellent original condition\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDimensions – Height 28.5 cms; Width 22.5 cms\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWeight – 1380 grammes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReferences\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIllustrated London News, 2nd July 1870, London\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31593140912218,"sku":"JC-ENGL-06787","price":6750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-English-Silver-Gilt-Cup.jpg?v=1592344701"},{"product_id":"antique-ottoman-parcel-gilt-niello-silver-hammam-hamam-bowl-ottoman-bosnia-mid-18th-century","title":"Antique Ottoman Silver, Parcel Gilt And Niello Hammam Bowl – Mid 18th Century","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThe cup of round form with an s-curve handle. Gilded to the interior.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThe exterior ornamented with alternating panels of niello and silver-gilt, flanked by silver ribs. Chased design to the underside of the base.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eMade in Bosnia when it was part of the Ottoman Empire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eWeight: 352 grams, Diameter: 14 cms, Height: 6 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eItem: #060\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34751505694870,"sku":"JC-SILV-06789","price":8500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Side-View-Ottoman-Hammam-Bowl.jpg?v=1599123933"},{"product_id":"antique-english-silver-gilt-bowl-hexagonal-in-the-oriental-style-london-england-1910","title":"Antique English Silver-Gilt Bowl, Hexagonal, In The Oriental Style, London, England – 1910","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThis exceptional English silver-gilt bowl is of hexagonal form with a large flat rim with applied dragon and pompom chrysanthemum flower ornamentation and pierced faux cane basketry panels.  The bowl stands on a spreading pedestal foot with pierced openwork panels of floral and foliate ornamentation circumventing the foot.  The body of the bowl has six panels embossed in high relief and depicting oriental themes.   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThis bowl appears oriental in style, yet it was crafted by a prominent English firm of silversmiths, making it a very unusual piece.  The bowl bears full and clear hallmarks to the underside of the base showing that it was made by Goldsmiths \u0026amp; Silversmiths Company, London in 1910.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eGoldsmiths and Silversmiths Ltd established their company in 1778, opening a showroom in Newcastle, England. They displayed their craft in Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876 and at the Paris exhibitions of 1889 and 1900. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e“Working for 20 years in the silver trade I have not come upon another piece of English silver that is more unusual. Every element of the form and ornamentation is in the oriental style. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eAfter talking to many silver experts and other antique silver dealers, one possible explanation is that it was made to exhibit at, or possibly commemorate, the great Japan-British Exhibition, which was held at White City in 1910.  We are continuing our research into this extraordinary and intriguing bowl.”  Joseph.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA pair of Victorian Parcel Gilt Vases from 1900 of Meiping shape made by Wakeley and Wheeler with similar pompom chrysanthemum ornamentation was sold by Sotheby’s in 1972.  The influence of English silversmiths, Gilbert Marks and Latino Movio, can also be seen.  ‘It is generally accepted that Latino Movio was one of two assistants to Gilbert Marks. His work is in a very similar style and its appearance seems to coincide with the halt in Marks’ production and to represent an attempt by the retailers to continue a popular style in his absence. (Culme, 1987, p.312)  Culme seems to be referring to the premature death of Gilbert Marks in 1905, although his last known production bears a year mark for 1902.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDimensions\u003c\/i\u003e: Height 13cms, Length: 26.5cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight\u003c\/em\u003e: 1364 grams \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences\u003c\/em\u003e:   Lot 121, English and Foreign Silver and Plate, Sotheby’s Belgravia, 25th May 1972\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJohn Culme, \u003cem\u003eThe Directory of Gold and Silversmiths, Jewellers \u0026amp; Allied Traders 1838-1914\u003c\/em\u003e, 1987, p.312-3\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34785843183766,"sku":"JC-SILV-06790","price":12500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-English-Silver-Gilt-Bowl-Hexagonal-London-England-1910.jpg?v=1592515510"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-colonial-silver-horn-yak-tail-fly-whisk-chowry-monson-armorial-india-1728-1800","title":"Antique Indian Colonial Silver, Horn \u0026 Yak Tail Fly Whisk, India – 1728-1800","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn unusual antique Indian colonial silver antelope horn and yak tail hair fly whisk\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e(chowry)\u003c\/em\u003e, finely engraved with a decorative border and the armorial crest of the distinguished Monson (pronounced Munson) family of Burton, Lincolnshire and bearing their motto, ’ Prest Pour Mon Pais’, which translates as ‘ready for my country’. The armorial features a baronial crown which dates the whisk to after 1728, the year in which George I created the peerage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the description of a 19th century Indian fly whisk within the collection of London's V \u0026amp; A Museum, fly whisks with \"..... a plume of yak tail hair in an elaborate holder - are the most frequently used and depicted emblems of royalty. Chauri are swayed on either side of the ruler by dedicated officials called chamardar. Chauri derives from the Sanskrit word chamara, meaning fly-whisk, which is extremely close to the word for 'yak'.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe horn is believed to have come from a large male Chinkara or Indian gazelle (Gazella bennettii) which is native to India, Pakistan and Iran. The ringed horns of the male, normally 15 to 25 rings, appear almost straight when seen from the front but in profile take a lightly ‘S’ shaped curve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe whisk’s silver mount is unmarked but the high quality of engraving on the armorial suggests it was made by a colonial silversmith working in one of the principal colonial silver manufacturing centres, Madras and Calcutta at this time, most likely Madras, where William, George and William John Monson are all known to have resided – although it is not known which of the three purchased the whisk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Monson family’s association with India spanned the period from 1725 until 1800 and the fly whisk (\u003cem\u003echowry\u003c\/em\u003e) would have been purchased in India after 1728 as a necessary deterrent to the unwelcome attention of flies, particularly during the intense summertime heat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWilliam Monson was the first member of the family to travel to India. He went in 1725 with £1,000 initial capital from his father which he transported as silver bullion, converting it into pagodas (the South Indian currency) upon arrival. William Monson worked for the East India Company at Fort St George, Madras and served as Sheriff of Madraspatnam (Madras) in the year 1734. As was common practice at this time, he was also trading on his own account, assisted by his brother in London, whilst working for the East India Company in Madras. After several hiccups he started to make some money but lost most of it after the Battle of Madras when the French occupied Madras and confiscated several private warehouses, including Monson’s, following the defeat of the British garrison. William left India and returned home to England in 1747, leaving behind four horses, (which would have been extremely expensive and probably imported from Persia), and his two faithful servants who had been with him for the twenty-two years since his arrival in India.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWilliam’s nephew, Sir John Monson, 1st Baron Monson of Burton, was created a peer of the realm by George I in 1728. He was a Privy Councillor and was appointed the first Commissioner of Trade and Plantations in 1737, what would now be termed, President of the Board of Trade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1758, Major George Monson (1730-1776), his youngest son, who was also the grandson of the Earl of Rockingham, sailed to India with the Draper’s Regiment. The previous year, George had married a widow four years older than himself, Lady Anne Hope-Vere, the daughter of the Earl of Darlington and a great grand-daughter of King Charles II. George Monson and his wife both hailed from aristocratic and very well connected families and George held a position at Court as Groom of the Bedchamber of George, Prince of Wales, keeping this position after the Prince succeeded to the throne and became King George III. George Monson was elected a Member of Parliament for Lincoln in 1754. Re-elected in 1761, he retained his seat until 1768.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen he arrived in India, George travelled to Bombay and Madras before distinguishing himself during the siege of Pondicherry in 1760, after which he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He had been seriously wounded but recovered and in 1761 was given command of the 96th foot, distinguishing himself during action in the capture of Manila in 1762 after which he was promoted again; attaining the rank of brigadier-general in 1763. After the Peace of Paris he returned to England and in 1769 he became a full colonel and aide-de-camp to King George III, who is reported to have said about him that ‘though not a strong man he had excellent brains’!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAppointed to the Supreme Council of Bengal in the Regulating Act of 1773, Monson returned to Calcutta again in 1774 with his wife, Lady Anne. George and Anne became active and prominent figures in Calcutta society. A contemporary diarist, Macrabie, described Anne as ‘a very superior whist-player’ but she was already very well known to those in the botanical and scientific community as an exceptional botanist, plant and insect collector.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeorge is best remembered for his staunch, almost immediate opposition to the policies of the Governor General, Warren Hastings and to the Judges of the Supreme Court, particularly in the affair of the Maharaja of Nandakumar (Nuncomar) in which he was particularly active. He was made Colonel of the 50th foot on 1st Sept. 1775. Since his return to Calcutta, George had been plagued by illness and following the death of his wife Anne, in February 1776, he resigned from the Supreme Council intending to return to England but died shortly afterwards in Calcutta in September 1776. Before the news of his death reached England, George had been promoted further, this time to the rank of Lieutenant-General.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnne’s contemporary, J E Smith, claimed that it was Lady Anne who had assisted James Lee in translating Linnaeus’s Philosophia Botanica, the first work to explain the Linnaean classification to English readers. Lee published the book under his own name in 1760, acknowledging Lady Anne anonymously in the preface. A few years later, Anne was introduced to the Danish entomologist, Johan Christian Fabricius, one of Linnaeus’s pupils. Anne was also mentioned by James Lee in his letters to Linnaeus.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1774, on her voyage out to Calcutta, Lady Anne had visited the Cape of Good Hope where she met Carl Peter Thurnberg, a pupil of Linnaeus and a seasoned collector of South African plants. She accompanied Thurnberg on several plant hunting expeditions around Cape Town, presenting him with a ring in remembrance of her visit. One of the South African plants collected by Lady Anne was a flowering shrub, later named ‘Monsonia’ in her honour by Carl Linnaeus. It is said that Anne and Linnaeus never met but were great correspondents. Specimens of Monsonia were sent to Kew Gardens in 1774.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMajor Hon. William Monson (1760-1807), was the third member of the family to go to India. He was the son of the 2nd Baron Monson of Burton and George Monson’s nephew. He also had a distinguished service career in the Indian army, becoming a major of the 52nd foot in 1795 and lieutenant-colonel of the 76th Foot in 1798. His son, William John Monson, was born in Madras in 1796 whilst his father was stationed there. The family returned to England around 1800 and the Hon. William became the Member of Parliament for Lincoln until his death in 1807. As far as we have been able to ascertain, 1800 was the date at which the Monson family’s involvement with India ended.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the childless Frederick, 5th Baron Monson of Burton, died in 1841, William John Monson, Frederick’s second cousin, succeeded to the title and inherited the estates of Gatton and Burton, becoming 6th Baron Monson of Burton. William was already married to Eliza Larken, whose father had served in India at a similar time to his own, whilst working as a tea trader with the East India Company.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Monson family continued to prosper as an important Lincolnshire family and continue to be very active in politics and diplomacy up to the present day. The 7th Baron, a notable Liberal politician, was created Viscount Oxenbridge in 1886. His brother, Sir Edmund Monson, had a glittering diplomatic career in South America and Europe, serving as British Ambassador to Austria from 1893 to 1896 and France from 1896 to 1904. In gratitude for his service, he was created a Baronet in his own right in 1905. The present incumbent, Nicholas, the 12th Baron Monson, is campaigning for female equality in the inheritance of hereditary peerages.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn Indian silver mounted horn and horsehair fly whisk is within the collection of the Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e     UK Art Market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSize:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e                     Length of Handle: 72 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReferences:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCollection of the Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Monson family papers, Lincolnshire Archives, Lincoln\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSoren Mentz, The English Gentleman Merchant at Work: Madras and the City of London 1660 – 1740, Museum Tusculanum Press, Copenhagen 2003\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArthur Collins, Volume 5, The Peerage of England, 3rd Edition, London 1795\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHenry Davidson Love, Vestiges of Old Madras, Mittal Publications, Delhi 1988\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eV \u0026amp; A Museum, London, Museum Number 2491 (IS)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34786649571478,"sku":"JC-COLO-06791","price":3750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Colonial-Silver-Horn-And-Yak-Tail-Fly-Whisk-Chowry-Monson-Armorial-India-1728-1800.jpg?v=1592522454"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-silver-parcel-gilt-gold-tea-kettle-india-early-18th-century","title":"Antique Indian Silver, Parcel-gilt \u0026 Gold Tea Kettle, India – Early 18th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis extremely rare Indian silver kettle bears an inscription for 1736 but could actually have been made some years prior to this date as it was common practice at that time to give existing items of silver from the household collection as gifts, rather than having a new item specially commissioned for the occasion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Indian Colonial Silver period (silver made in India by silversmiths of European descent), can be traced back to circa 1790 and the kettle pre-dates this by, at least, fifty years.  Doubtless, there were a few European silversmiths working in India before 1790 but they did not mark the silver and are not recorded. However, the design and workmanship of this kettle suggest that it was made in India, by an Indian silversmith, for a European customer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe kettle is of rounded shape with a deep protruding band stepping out from the central part of the body and increasing the width of the kettle at its mid-section. The band is edged with beading to top and bottom and shows traces of gilding. It is multi-sided or faceted which contrasts with the curved surfaces above and below. The faceted sides are chased to top and bottom with an architectural arch terminating in a stylised lotus motif. An arch shaped swing handle, bound with wicker, is attached to the body.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe domed lid has rope and bead borders and an applied gold band extends outwards from the base of the architectural style cupola which is surmounted by a lotus bud knob. The curved spout is of European form with a pronounced scrolling double acanthus leaf to the lower section near the junction where the spout meets the body of the vessel.  The acanthus leaf was a favourite decorative ornament of Mughal art and a bas relief representation is often found at the point at which a handle or spout meets the vessel, as in this case. A plain, push-on cover for the spout end is linked by a silver chain to the finial on the kettle lid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lid design is similar to the cupolas of Lucknow’s Bara, (Asafi Imambara). There is a silver gilt and enamelled tray cover in the National Trust Collection, dating to the late 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecentury, which demonstrates the same architectural style and was made in Lucknow.  It is most likely this kettle was also made there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe kettle is a fusion of Indian and European elements. It was made in India for the European market, most likely for a British, Dutch or French customer.  The kettle bears a date of 1736, but could have been made several years earlier.  An inscription, pricked to the underside of the base, reads; ‘N’, ‘S * B’, ‘1736’, probably signifying it was given as a wedding gift.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e        UK Private Collection\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSize:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e                        Height 20 cms, width 22 cms (max)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e                  1131 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarkel, Stephen, Luxury Arts of Lucknow, Arts of Asia, 23 ii (1993) pp 108-120\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNational Trust Collection, inventory number 1180715.15, Powis Castle, Powys\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExhibition – The Indian Heritage – Court Life and Arts under the Mughal Rule, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 1982\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Asafi Imambara complex, Lucknow\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34786718908566,"sku":"JC-TEA-06792","price":5750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Silver-Parcel-Gilt-Gold-Tea-Kettle-India-Early-18th-Century.jpg?v=1592527662"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-colonial-silver-goblet-india-1879","title":"Antique Indian Colonial Silver Goblet, India – 1879","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn Indian silver presentation goblet decorated with bands of fine geometric and floral ornamentation. The underside of the drinking bowl with deeply gadrooned petals, chased with acanthus leaves to the surface. The bowl arises from an ornamental shaped and pendant skirt, possibly a stylised depiction of a lotus, supported by a knopped stem and circular domed foot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn inscription on the front of the cup reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e“CHALLENGE FOURS\u003cbr\u003eWON BY – POONA CREW\u003cbr\u003e1ST SEPT. 1879\u003cbr\u003eI – F. G. Selby            2 – H. Maclaine\u003cbr\u003e3 – S. W. Tyndall       T.A. Lemesurier (stk)\u003cbr\u003eRG Oxenham (cox)”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis trophy was presented to the Poona crew after achieving first place  in a rowing competition. These lightweight boats had four rowers, hence the term ‘challenge four’, with a steersman or coxswain sitting at the back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this team, the coxswain was Robert George Oxenham, the principal of Deccan College. To make a good coxswain, he would probably have been a light man of small stature. Oxenham was closely involved with the rowing club and presented cups himself in the years following.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Poona Boat Club practiced on the Mula-Mutha River and the club is still open today. Amongst the club’s most notable fans was Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught, who commanded the Bombay army from 1886 – 1890. The club was later re-named after him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eWeight 336 grams,  Diameter 10 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eItem: #308\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34787259515030,"sku":"JC-SILV-06793","price":1600.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Colonial-Silver-Goblet-India-1879.jpg?v=1592529286"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-silver-water-flasks-surahi-underplates-a-pair-ganga-jamuna-kashmir-circa-1860","title":"Antique Indian Silver Water Flasks (surahi) \u0026 Underplates, A Pair – C. 1860","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eA pair of silver Surahi chased in Kashmiri shawl pattern with\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGanga-Jamuna\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003esilver gilt work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eAn identical pair of Indian silver surahi, (water flasks)  with matching underplates and lids attached to the bodies by chains. The surahi have been ornamented with chased motifs in the Kashmiri shawl pattern, arabesques and paisley motifs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eKashmiri silversmiths developed their own distinctive and recognizable style of silver ornamentation where the entire body is covered with intricately chased patterns.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eSurahi or water bottles made in Kashmir and derived their form from clay goblets used in the northern Punjab.  Kashmiri silver craftsmen were able to add elaborate details to this form.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThis unusual silver-gilt work is called \u003cem\u003eGanga-Jamuna,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eand is named after the Ganges and Jamuna rivers which are found in northern India. The Ganges has white water, whilst its tributary, the Jamuna, has water of a deep blue colour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eGanga-Jamuna\u003c\/em\u003e is the term used to describe the combination of a silver base with a parcel gilt applied to portions in relief. The two colours – the gold and silver- create a balancing effect and give the object a “pearly radiance.” As George Birdwood put it: “Their elegant shapes and delicate tracery, graven through the gilding to the dead white silver below, which softens the lustre of the gold to a pearly radiance, gives a most charming effect to this refined and graceful work.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThis pair of Surahi is the finest example of Kashmiri silverwork we have seen, the bottles are elaborately chased and coupled with matching underplates of equal quality of design and execution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSources: Watt, George. Indian Art at Delhi 1903. London: John Murray, 1904.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eProvenance: UK\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eWeight: 2354 grams, Height: 30.5 cms, Diameter of plate: 21.5 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eItem: #099\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34787331834006,"sku":"JC-WATE-06794","price":7000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Silver-Water-Flasks-Surahi-And-Underplates-A-Pair-Ganga-jamuna-Kashmir-Circa-1860.jpg?v=1592530971"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-silver-walking-cane-handle-oomersi-mawji-bhuj-kutch-cutch-india-c-1880","title":"Antique Indian Silver Walking Cane Handle, Oomersi Mawji, Kutch, India C. 1880","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis delightful antique silver cane handle was made in Bhuj in the Kutch region of India, now named Gujerat, around 1890. The handle has been signed to the plain silver band at the base of the neck and the mark is O.M. within a rectangular cartouche, signifying the maker to be the greatly revered Kutch silversmith, Oomersi Mawji of Bhuj. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe whole handle has been ornamented in Mawji’s languorous rambling and free flowing signature Kutch style using repousse and chased techniques with the scattered repousse elements raised above a finely incised background, producing a striking contrast.  These floral and foliate elements were created freehand with the spacing and form of the foliage controlled only by the skill of the silversmith. As one would expect from Mawji, the craftsmanship and quality are both excellent and show the hallmarks of his mastery and assurance with all elements of the design well planned. He contrasts the richly ornamented free flowing naturalistic panels with the plain silver surround and the tailored simple diagonal hatched and beaded borders to the seams.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe handle is of circular section and resembles a ‘T’ shaped tree branch.  The practicalities of use have been carefully considered: the profile has been subtly shaped in order that it lies comfortably and supports the hand when gripped.  To either end of the top, the circular end sections have been capped with silver.  Ever thoughtful, Mawji has capped one end with plain silver and the other, outwardly facing edge, with an ornamental boss depicting a lotus flower within beaded borders.  The lotus flower would be front facing and visible from the front while the owner was walking and the other, plain silver end, would allow the owner to use the handle to knock on a door, for example, without damaging the ornament.  Practically, the repousse and incised surface treatment also afforded grip, which was an important consideration in such a warm climate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMawji founded Oomersi Mawji \u0026amp; Co in Bhuj in 1860.  Working with his sons, the firm became the premier Kutch silversmiths, widely known for its fine quality and highly skilled silverwork, coupled with exceptional design skills. Appointed Royal Silversmith to the Maharaja (Maharao) of Kutch, Mawji amassed a large international clientele who patronised his Bhuj workshop.  Mawji’s workshops were enterprising and he received many fine and important commissions. He produced many masterpieces and typically used silver of extremely high purity, normally 95-98%.  Practically, this meant that the material was softer and easier to manipulate. Mawji worked predominantly in the Kutch style but also in the European, ‘Madras swami’ and ‘Calcutta rural village’ styles. Participating in several foreign exhibitions, he won many prizes for his work and helped to popularise Kutch silver abroad, particularly in Great Britain. Oomersi Mawji has often been described as the greatest Indian silversmith of the nineteenth century and he was certainly the best known.  Born into a humble family which belonged to the lowly cobbler's caste, he went on to achieve international success, wide acclaim and celebrity status during his lifetime. Although the firm ceased operation in the 1930s, it produced many spectacular pieces and his work has become some of the most sought after examples of Indian silver today. His genius has been recognised internationally with many of his creations now displayed in some of the world’s most important museums and private collections in locations around the globe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:-\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e UK art market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eHeight 7.5 cms; Width 1.5 cms; Length 9 cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:-  \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e60 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWatt and Brown, Indian Art at Delhi, 1903, Being the Official Catalogue of the Delhi Exhibition,  1902-1903, Calcutta, Superintendent of Government Printing, India 1903 \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWynyard R T Wilkinson, Indian Silver 1858-1947, Decorative Silver from the Indian Subcontinent and Burma, Made by Local Craftsmen in Western Forms,  W Wilkinson \u0026amp; Indar Pashrical Fine Arts, London 1997 \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVidya Dehejia, Delight in Design – Indian Silver for the Raj, Mapin Publishing, India 2008\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34787560915094,"sku":"JC-WALK-06795","price":1200.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Silver-Walking-Cane-Handle-Oomersi-Mawji-Bhuj-Kutch-cutch.jpg?v=1592532467"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-silver-plate-kutch-cutch-india-c-1840","title":"Antique Indian Silver Plate, Kutch (cutch) India, C. 1840","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis exquisite antique Kutch silver plate is a fine example of the artistic and skilful work of the Kutch silversmiths. The standard of craftsmanship is extremely high and the quality superb.  This is believed to be an early example of Kutch silverware dating to around 1840. The repousse elements have been skilfully executed; they are all crisp, well defined and nicely detailed, with little signs of wear or use.  The overall design and the spacing of the individual elements have been carefully considered and the plate is of very pleasing appearance.   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe plate has been ornamented using repousse, chasing and pierced techniques.  The background has been finely incised and provides a contrast to the bright silver surface of the repousse and chased elements.  To the centre of the recessed area is a large lotus flower, reminiscent of the style of an eighteenth century Indian\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ethali\u003c\/em\u003e, which usually had a lotus flower at their central point.  Surrounding the lotus flower are palmettes, carnations, small open daisy-like flowers and scrolling acanthus leaves. Some elements seem to derive from the Islamic Mughal tradition and others from the Hindu tradition.  The contrasting plain silver to the steep side of the recess is also reminiscent of the typical construction of a thali, it leads up from the recessed area to the flat rim above and also forms a border.  The rim is wide with a continuous repeating border of scrolling floral and foliate elements and a beaded border to the exterior. The plate is surrounded by a pierced and hand cut repeating acanthus leaf border to the outer edge, almost lace-like in its appearance, which produces a deckled edge.    \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSilver from the Kutch (Cutch) region of India probably became the most famous of all the Indian regional styles. The Maharajas of Kutch gave a lot of help to the silversmiths living there, championing the artisans’ fine work and trying to encourage this ancient craft.  They commissioned silver for their own use and sent it out as diplomatic gifts. They also sponsored some of the silversmiths to attend various prominent national and international exhibitions.  Their efforts ensured that the region’s silverware was always well represented and exhibited to great effect.  This strategy helped to spread awareness of Kutch silverware and it became greatly admired and very popular.  It was highly regarded for its great craftsmanship and aesthetic sensibility and appreciated for its good weight and the high grade of silver used in its manufacture. The fineness of the silver itself was usually very high and a minimum of sterling quality or 925\/1000.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \"Kutch style\" of silver decoration first emerged in the early 19th century and by the end of the century had developed into its distinctive and familiar form. Where the Kutch style of silver ornamentation originated is uncertain. Some writers point to the 15th century mosque of Ahmedabad as a major source of inspiration. The mosque's architecture fuses Islamic and Hindu imagery, particularly in its intricately carved stone windows, which could have inspired the scrolling decoration which became so characteristic of Kutch silver. The Dutch influence has also been noted in the appearance of the repoussé border ornamentation often found on Kutch silverware and there are also resemblances to the decoration on Portuguese pottery of the 17\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecentury.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eUK antiques trade\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e15cm diameter\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e218 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVidya Dehejia, Delight in Design – Indian Silver for the Raj, Mapin Publishing, India 2008\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWynyard R T Wilkinson, Indian Silver 1858-1947, Decorative Silver from the Indian Subcontinent and Burma, Made by Local Craftsmen in Western Forms,  W Wilkinson \u0026amp; Indar Pashrical Fine Arts, London 1997\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34792864252054,"sku":"JC-SILV-06796","price":900.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Silver-Plate-Kutch-cutch-India-C-1840.jpg?v=1592769145"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-silver-figural-parasol-handle-parrot-oomersi-mawji-bhuj-kutch-cutch-india-c-1890","title":"Antique Indian Silver Figural Parasol Handle, Parrot, Kutch, India – C. 1890","description":"\u003cp\u003eIs this the ultimate Oomersi Mawji parrot parasol handle? We really think so!  We could hardly believe that we were fortunate enough to acquire this spectacular parasol handle only a few weeks after selling the O.M. parrot parasol handle featured in our June bulletin.  This handle stands fifty per cent taller and is sixty per cent heavier than the previous one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDelightfully naturalistic, this figural parasol handle shows Mawji,s mastery of silver as a sculptural medium.  His sympathetic portrayal of the bird is very lifelike; the curved back, tucked in head, staring eyes and distinctively shaped beak are so characteristic and unmistakeable that we are immediately able to identify the bird.  The detailing is very fine with the different types of feathers treated in slightly different ways and the long tail feathers are particularly elegant. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe parrot perches on top of a column of silver which has been ornamented in signature Kutch style with floral and foliate sprigs set against a finely punched ground. This juxtaposition provides visual and tactile interest. The undersides of the parrot’s feet are visible and he appears to be examining them.  The dark ground of the column provides a great foil for the shimmering silver bird.  The plain silver ring at the base of the column bears Oomersi Mawji’s mark, O.M in a rectangular cartouche.   The mark is clear, well struck and well defined.  This mark was used by Oomersi Mawji whilst he was working in Bhuj.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOomersi Mawji was the most popular and accomplished Kutch silversmith of his generation.  Every item he produced served as a testament to his consistently high quality craftsmanship, innovation and superb design skills.  In his workshop, the intended design would be drawn several times on paper, with corrections and edits being made with each revision. When the final draft was complete, and had met with the client’s approval, the piece was formed and executed. It was usual for each silversmith to be given a specific task, with the tasks requiring the greatest skill being left to the master silversmith.  Mawji was appointed Royal Silversmith to the Maharaja of Kutch and he amassed a large Indian and international clientele.  His reputation was huge during his lifetime and is undiminished today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRepresentations of parrots and parakeets feature in both the Hindu and Islamic Indian artistic traditions.  In the Hindu tradition, Kamadeva, the young and handsome God of Love, is depicted riding upon a large green parrot.  He is armed with a bow made from sugarcane and laced with a string of honey bees which he uses to shoot his stinging arrows of desire. Parrots are also associated with Meenakshi, an avatar of Parvati, the goddess of love fertility and devotion, who is mainly worshipped in Southern India, particularly at Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Meenakshi is often depicted with a parrot perched upon her right hand.  The parrot is also linked to Parvati through the story of Shiva, Parvati and Radha’s parrot, Suka.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2015, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art had an exhibition dedicated to the art of the Muslim kingdoms known as the Deccani Sultanates.  This exhibition entitled ‘Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700 : Opulence and Fantasy’, featured  a number of parrots including a watercolour of ‘A bejewelled maiden with a parakeet’ 1670-1700,  ‘A rock-crystal knife with jewelled parrot handle’ circa 1600 and a watercolour of ‘A parrot perched on a mango tree; a ram tethered below’ from Golconda circa 1670, which also featured on the promotional poster for the exhibition.  Parrots and parakeets are not only a recurring theme in Indian art, but one that has a universal appeal. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis superb parasol handle was made by the best known and most celebrated Indian silversmith of his generation. Mawji’s naturalistic and sympathetic portrayals of the animals and birds he saw around him are very sought after and this tactile and sculptural piece must be one of his finest.  The handle could be re-mounted onto another umbrella or cane or fitted onto an acrylic pedestal base and displayed as a magnificent free standing sculpture, which would allow it to be viewed from all directions.   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eUK art market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:-\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eHeight 18 cms; Width (max) 6.5 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:-\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e104 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWatt and Brown, Indian Art at Delhi, 1903, Being the Official Catalogue of the Delhi Exhibition,  1902-1903, Calcutta, Superintendent of Government Printing, India 1903\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVidya Dehejia, Delight in Design – Indian Silver for the Raj, Mapin Publishing, India 2008\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNavina Najat Haidar and Marika Sardar, Sultans of Deccan India, 1500–1700: Opulence and Fantasy, Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications, New York 2015\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWynyard R T Wilkinson, Indian Silver 1858-1947, Decorative Silver from the Indian Subcontinent and Burma, Made by Local Craftsmen in Western Forms,  W Wilkinson \u0026amp; Indar Pashrical Fine Arts, London 1997\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34793395847318,"sku":"JC-PARA-06797","price":5500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Silver-Figural-Parasol-Handle-Parrot-Oomersi-Mawji-Bhuj-Kutch-cutch-India-C-1890.jpg?v=1592556224"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-silver-egg-cruet-for-six-persons-kutch-cutch-circa-1900","title":"Antique Indian Silver Egg Cruet, For Six Persons, Kutch (cutch) – Circa 1900","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis lovely antique Indian silver egg cruet is of European form with traditional Kutch style ornamentation. The set comprises thirteen separate elements; the stand, a set of six identical matching egg cups and a set of six identical matching spoons. It is wonderful to find a complete set in such superb condition!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe stand is of six-lobed shape, resembling the outline of a simple regular six-petal flower head. It is supported by three decorative scroll shaped feet. All the pieces have been ornamented in the typical Kutch style using repousse and chased techniques. At the centre of the stand is a tall silver pillar surmounted by a large scroll shaped ring handhold. Below this, and surrounding the central pillar, is the circular spoon holder with separate semi-circular slots for each spoon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the centre of each petal, or lobe on the stand, is a plain silver circle with a short silver rod emanating up from the central point. The area between the circles has been ornamented in typical Kutch fashion with floral and foliate sprigs around the central pillar, which is surrounded by an acanthus leaf border. To the perimeter is a raised and finely chased rope border surrounded by a ribbon of scrolling flowers and foliage contained by the outer raised and beaded border.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe egg cups have hollow stems to accept the rods and the underside of the base of each contains a strip of silver straddling the width internally with a circular drill hole at the central point to guide positioning and ensure minimum movement. The cups would be lifted up and guided onto the rods through the central hole in the base plates with the tops of the rods concealed within the hollow stems. This would ensure that the cups stayed in position once the stand was carried or moved. Each cup has been ornamented in the Kutch style with loose and rhythmic floral and foliate scrolls to the body and a pronounced beaded border to the rim. The cups are held on a short pedestal stem over a spreading pedestal foot. The stems are ornamented with acanthus leaf borders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe handle of each spoon has been ornamented with a typically Kutch flower and foliate sprig over a small acanthus leaf, contained within beaded borders around the edges of the handle. The ornamentation to the feet of the stand is similar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEgg cruets were a favourite and much-used item of breakfast silver in British households, particularly in the Georgian period and they continued in use up to the Edwardian period. They fell out of favour after World War I when tastes changed, lifestyles became less formal and the grand houses were experiencing great difficulties in recruiting adequate staff due to new opportunities for employment and profound social change. The cruet would have been filled with freshly boiled eggs and placed on a buffet or in the centre of a dining table, so that people could serve themselves. The quality of this set is extremely high and comparable to examples created by top London silversmiths.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is very unlikely that the silversmith who made this set was well travelled or had ever left the Kutch region, let alone seen such an item in use! He would have probably have been provided with an existing set to examine and copy or detailed design drawings to work from. European residents living in India included many wealthy merchants and officials, some of whom were of aristocratic stock. They liked to continue living their lives in the traditional British way and dining in the same way they would do at home. In India, they lived a life that, at the very least, mirrored their lifestyle at home or in most cases, was infinitely more affluent and cosseted than their lives would have been had they remained in Britain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSilver from the Kutch (Cutch) region of India was probably the most famous of the various Indian regional styles. The Maharajas of Kutch gave a lot of help to the silversmiths living there. Championing their fine work, they commissioned silver for their own use and sent it out as gifts. They also encouraged and sponsored some of them to attend various prominent national and international exhibitions, ensuring that the region’s silver wares were always well represented and exhibited to great effect. The fineness of the silver itself was usually very high and a minimum of sterling quality or 925\/1000. As a result, Kutch silver work became very well known in the UK, Europe and America. The style was greatly admired and very popular; highly regarded for its great craftsmanship and aesthetic sensibility and appreciated for its good weight and the high grade of silver they used in manufacture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProvenance:-  UK art market\u003cbr\u003eDimensions:-  Total Size: Height 17cms; Width 19cms\u003cbr\u003e                           Egg cup: Height 5.5cms; Width 5cms\u003cbr\u003eWeight:-           760 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34794184048790,"sku":"JC-EGG-06798","price":2800.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Silver-Egg-Cruet-For-Six-Persons-Kutch-cutch-Circa-1900.jpg?v=1592557162"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-silver-snuff-box-charak-puja-hook-swinging-festival-calcutta-kolkata-1800-50","title":"Antique Indian Silver Snuff Box, Charak Puja\/Hook Swinging, Calcutta – 1800\/50","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis fascinating silver box was made for the Europeans visiting or living in India.  Within raised floral and foliate borders, the scene on the lid depicts the ‘\u003cem\u003eCharak Puja\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(also known as\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eNil Puja\u003c\/em\u003e) Festival’, known by the English residents of Calcutta as‘The Hook Swinging Festival’. This colourful event was celebrated all over Bengal with much pomp and show on\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eChaitra Songkranti\u003c\/em\u003e, the last day of the month\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eChaitra\u003c\/em\u003e, and the eve of the Bengali New Year.  The scene is after a drawing by Francois Baltazar Solvyns.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSolvyns was an artist who was born in Antwerp in 1760 and studied painting at the Antwerp Academy.  In 1791, he came to India to seek his fortune as an artist but initially struggled to make an impact and subsisted by undertaking a range of part time jobs.  Noting the British interest in the diverse and exuberant Indian culture, he soon became fascinated by the Indian culture and people himself and started to learn Hindu and Sanskrit.  Encouraged by Sir William Jones, founder of the Royal Asiatic Society in Calcutta, he embarked on an ambitious project to produce \"250 coloured etchings descriptive of the manners, customs, character, dress and religious customs of the Hindoos\". \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeing the first venture of its kind, Solvyns’ project brought in sufficient subscriptions to enable him to proceed with his plan. He recorded that his pictures of the Indian scene \"would be particularly interesting to those who had resided many years in India, as a help to them, on their retreat to their native country to recall occurrences of their youth and scenes formerly familiar to them\". \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSolvyns work was pioneering and provides us with much historical information today. “He began drawing his subjects from life, which included men and women of every possible caste or calling ranging from high-caste Brahmins to milkwomen and sweepers. He portrayed many servants carrying out their specific duties within European households in Calcutta, such as a \u003cem\u003eSarkar\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHooka-bardar\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAbdar\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eetc. He also drew pictures of the colourful Indian festivals, ascetics and mendicants roaming about in the towns and villages, various forms of transport, including boats on the river, different kinds of pipes for smoking and a variety of musical instruments.”  They were published in Calcutta in 1799, but the project was not a commercial success and he left India for France in 1804.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Paris, he produced a folio edition of 188 plates with an accompanying descriptive text giving detailed information about the subject depicted in each text.  ‘Les Hindous’ was published in Paris between 1808 and 1812 in four large volumes.  Solvyns died in 1824.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the earliest and most vivid English accounts of the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eCharak Puja\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eFestival was written by Fanny Parkes, a Welsh travel writer, who came to Kolkata in 1822 along with her husband, Charles Crawford Parkes, a writer for the East India Company:-\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“The other day, hearing it was a Burra Din, (day of festival in honour of the goddess Kalee, whose temple is about a mile and half from Calcutta,) I drove down in the evening to Kalee Ghaut, where, had not the novelty of the scene excited my curiosity, disgust would have made me sick. Thousands of people were on the road, dressed in all their gayest attire, to do honour to the festival of the Chiiruk Pooja, the swinging by hooks. Amongst the crowd, the most remarkable objects were several Voiragee mendicants; their bodies were covered with ashes, their hair clotted with mud and twisted round their heads ; they were naked all but a shred of cloth. One man had held up both arms over his head until they had withered and were immoveable, the nails of the clenched fists had penetrated through the back of the hands, and came out on the other side like the claws of a bird. To fulfil some vow to Vishnoo this agony is endured, not as a penance for sin, but as an act of extraordinary merit. At first the pain must be great, but it ceases as the arms become benumbed. A man of this description is reckoned remarkably holy, having perfect dependence upon God for support, being unable, his arms having become immovable, to carry food to his mouth or assist himself. Two or three other mendicants who were present had only one withered arm raised above their heads. Some Hindoos of low caste, either for their sins or for money, had cut three or four gashes in the muscular part of the arm, and through these gashes they kept running a sword, dancing violently all the time to hideous music; others ran bamboos as thick as three fingers through the holes in the arm, dancing in the same manner. One man passed a spit up and down through the holes, another a dagger and a third had a skewer through his tongue. \u003cbr\u003eA little further on were three swinging posts erected in this fashion; a post some thirty feet in height was crossed at the top by a horizontal bamboo, from one end of which a man was swinging, suspended by a rope, from the other end another rope was fastened to a horizontal pole below, which was turned by men running round like horses in a mill. The man swung in a circle of perhaps thirty feet diameter, supported by four iron hooks, two through the flesh of his back, and two in that of his chest, by which, and a small bit of cloth across the breast, he was entirely supported : he carried a bag in one hand, from which he threw sweetmeats and flowers to the populace below. \u003cbr\u003eSome men swing with four hooks in the back and four on the chest without any cloth, eight hooks being considered sufficient to support the body. The man I saw swinging looked very wild, from the quantity of opium and bengh he had taken to deaden the sense of pain. Bengh is an intoxicating liquor, which is prepared with the leaves of the Ganja plant (Canabis Indica) .\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHindoos of the lower castes are very fond of this amusement, accidental deaths occasioned by it are reckoned about three percent. Sometimes four men swing together for half an hour ; some in penance for their own sins ; some for those of others, richer men, who reward their deputies and thus do penance by proxy.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eKhraunchies full of nach girls were there in all their gaily-coloured dresses and ornaments, as well as a number of respectable men of good caste. I was much disgusted, but greatly interested. Sentries from the Calcutta militia were stationed round the swings to keep off the crowd.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe men on the mound at the foot of the second swing run round with the bamboo frame which is connected with the pole, at the summit of which are the cross bamboos. As they proceed, the four men above swing merrily on their hooks, scattering flowers and sweetmeats on the people, and repeating verses and portions of the shastrs. “\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis unusual snuff box is stamped with the letter ‘P’, and dates between the years 1800 and 1850.   One school of thought believes that these boxes were made in China for export to the Indian market whilst the other believes that they were actually made by Chinese silversmiths working in Calcutta. It is known that many fine Chinese craftsmen were working in Calcutta during the first half of the 19th century. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe principal panel on the lid illustrates a remarkable, if gruesome, ceremony which fascinated Europeans living in or visiting Calcutta. Fashioned using repousse and chased techniques, the depiction is after the drawing by French artist, Francois Solvyns. Around the sides of the box are figures dressed in an Indian style relaxing amongst trees and buildings which are once again in Indian style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e       UK art market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSize:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e                         Height:  2 cms, Width:  7.5 cms, Depth:     4.5 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:                \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e106 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFanny Parkes Parlby with an introduction by Indira Ghose and Sara Mills, Wanderings of a Pilgrim in Search of the Picturesque, page 35, Manchester University Press 2001, Manchester and New York (first published in 1850)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePran Neville, India a French View, Spectrum, The Tribune, Sunday, July 12\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e, 2009\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVictoria and Albert Museum collection, drawings by Francois Baltazar Solvyns\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34802824937622,"sku":"JC-SNUF-06800","price":3800.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Silver-Snuff-Box-Charak-Puja-hook-Swinging-Festival-Calcutta-Kolkata-1800-50.jpg?v=1592585060"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-silver-mounted-horn-trichonopoly-tiruchirappalli-india-late-19th-c","title":"Antique Indian Silver Mounted Horn, Trichonopoly, India – Late 19th C","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis magnificent antique Indian silver mounted horn has a pleasing crescent shape and is well proportioned. The translucent deep golden or tawny brown horn shades to a much darker brown towards the tip. The horn’s very large size indicates that it would have come from an old buffalo and the surface of the horn would have been finely polished before mounting with silver. A silver chain has been threaded through a ring mounted at the tip of the horn and another which pierces the rim to the inside curve of the horn, probably to facilitate display.\u003cbr\u003eThe silver mountings are of heavy gauge and the ornamentation uses repousse and chased techniques in the distinctive regional style of Trichonopoly. Just below the rim, a silver band with raised and ornamented edges features a repeating pattern of caparisoned elephants separated by vegetation. The animals are well modelled and the details have been finely chased. The area just above the tip of the horn has been covered by a silver sleeve. The floral and foliate ornament is dense and deep; forming an almost three-dimensional carpet. The wider end of the sleeve has been finished with a pierced and hand cut acanthus leaf border.\u003cbr\u003eBetween these two areas a very finely detailed silver serpent, chimera or snake like mythological being, wraps around the horn with the tail of the creature nearest the tip of the horn and the head at the rim end. The scales are diamond shaped and have been very finely chased. Each scale resembles an orchid like flower, or possibly, a flame. At the head end, the underside of the body is visible and a fish scale pattern has been used to differentiate this. The head is unusual; the eyes protrude and the mouth is very wide and open with, possibly, teeth. The area to the back of the head has been ornamented with foliage, which could also be viewed as locks of hair.\u003cbr\u003eTrichonopoly silver is far less common than some of the other Indian regional styles, like those of Kutch or Lucknow. Objects are usually made of a heavy gauge of silver, occasionally gold, and highly decorated. In the early 19th century the majority of silver items made in Trichonopoly were small portable objects of a personal nature, such as boxes, card cases, tinder tubes, goblets etc. rather than domestic items. This reflected the fact that most customers would have been male military or East India Company personnel, serving there alone and without families. The stylistic inspiration came from the stone carvings of local temple architecture, particularly those of the huge Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple on the holy islet of Srirangam on the opposite side of the Kaveri River from the Rock of Trichonopoly. Standing on a site of 156 acres, this temple is the most important of those dedicated to Vishnu. It is also the largest temple in India and the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world.\u003cbr\u003eThe British East India Company finally conquered Trichonopoly and made it part of the Madras Presidency in 1801, when it became an important stronghold. Trichonopoly was a strategic and extremely well fortified city with an excellent vantage point over the surrounding countryside. In the middle of the town was a rock 300 feet high surmounted by the 7th century pagoda shaped Hindu Ucchi Pillayar temple, dedicated to Ganesh. From the top of the temple there was an uninterrupted view of 40 miles in all directions. The city was protected by a four mile long double wall with towers at intervals which encircled the city. The outer wall was 18 foot high and fronted by a moat 30 foot wide and 15 foot deep.\u003cbr\u003eIn 1926, an Indian railway guide stated that ‘Trichonopoly is one of the biggest markets in the world for rubies.’ and ‘Articles in silver and gold are excellently made by the local gold and silversmiths, who are very successful with their repousse work. The cost of well-made silver articles is usually double the value of their weight in rupees’.\u003cbr\u003eThe Great Southern India Railway Company was formed in England in 1853 and the GSIR’s first line was planned from Negapatam to Trichonopoly. The line was completed on 11th March 1862 when the last section, the 35 mile long Tanjore-Trichonopoly stretch, was opened. The coming of the railway brought more traders and later, visitors, to the town. This increased the number of customers visiting the silver workshops and these new customers required different objects to their previous clientele, allowing the silver maker’s repertoire to expand. In addition, the railway provided a way in which larger domestic objects, such as this horn, could be safely transported with minimal effort. That said, even post railway, most silver objects still tended to be relatively small in size in comparison with the silverware produced in other Indian regions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProvenance:-  UK art market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize:- The horn measures 48cm long\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSouth Indian Railway Illustrated Guide, Madras 1926\u003cbr\u003eS Muthiah, The Railway of the Deep South, The Hindu, 9th May 2010\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34803382616214,"sku":"JC-HORN-06802","price":3600.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Silver-Mounted-Horn-Trichonopoly-Tiruchirappalli-India-Late-19th-C.jpg?v=1592589367"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-bidri-platter-tray-silver-inlay-hindu-figural-design-rajasthan-india-1800-1850","title":"Antique Indian Bidri Platter\/tray, Silver Inlay, Hindu Figural Design, Rajasthan, India – 1800\/1850","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis charming, if slightly naïve, bidri platter or tray has been inlaid with silver using\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ekoftgari\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003etarkashi\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003etechniques.  The design is unusual in that it depicts the natural world and has a wide border featuring a whirlwind of figures from the animal kingdom including mammals, fish, reptiles and birds. Figural designs in bidri are rare as they were extremely time consuming and difficult to execute as the craftsmen worked freehand.  The eyes on some figures appear black; this was achieved by cutting out eye holes from the silver sheet so as to reveal the black background beneath whilst the outlines of feathers, scales, folds of skin, hair, fur and harnesses have been lightly engraved. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ornamentation is much looser, freer flowing and without the rigid structure usually observed in bidri ware. This freedom of movement can also be seen in the inner and outer floral and foliate borders and in the fern-like\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003etarkashi\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003evegetal fronds between the figures.  Only the central geometric lotus flower, the strict division of the different areas of ornamentation and the simple running border of two undulating intersecting\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003etarkashi\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewires to the rim, show the formal rigid and rhythmic structure usually associated with bidri wares.  Figural examples are far less common than bidri depicting geometric and floral designs and the subject matter indicates that the ornamentation of this tray follows the Hindu rather than the Muslim tradition.  The tray is believed to have been made by Hindu craftsmen of the Lingayat sect, working in the early part of the 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecentury, probably in Rajasthan.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGreat bronzes with copper and silver inlay were made in India as far back as the 5th and 6th centuries but according to Indian oral history, the technique of bidri inlay originated in Iran and was brought to India in the 15th century by the Bahamani ruler Ala’uddin Bahamani. Bahamani brought craftsmen from Bijapur and established them in Bidar.  The oldest examples of bidri which can be seen in museums today only date as far back as the 17th century with no earlier examples known to have survived. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Bidri objects were highly prized and produced for Indian Royalty.  Several paintings of the period depict Maharajas and courtiers at the royal courts of Deccan and Mughal India with bidri ware articles such as hookahs and boxes.  Other articles were also produced in bidri, particularly \u003cem\u003ePandans, Lotas, Surahi, Thali\u003c\/em\u003e, shields and weaponry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBirdri was created by Muslims and by Hindus of the Lingayat sect. The Lingayats are a sect which devolved from Hinduism, becoming separate and breaking away from mainstream Hinduism with members worshipping Shiva exclusively.  Pandey explains that ‘The Nawabs, who rose to power on the ruins of the great Mughal Empire, seem to have been especially fond of Bidri and that is how at Lucknow, in Murshidabad and Purnea, Bidri workshops sprang up from the 18th century onwards. Everywhere, however, the same six stages of the process ….. seem to have been followed equally by Muslim and Hindu craftsmen.’   He identifies the patterns deriving through the Hindu tradition which include the Swastika, lotus, human figures, birds, animals and fish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe British public was first introduced to Bidri Wares at London’s 1851 Crystal Palace or ‘Great’ Exhibition and Markel quotes the writer and Victorian art critic, Owen Jones’, impressions of bidri hookahs \u003cem\u003e(huqqas\u003c\/em\u003e) he had seen there. Jones noted that ‘In the equal distribution of the surface ornament over the grounds, the Indians exhibit an instinct and perfection of drawing perfectly marvellous.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo read more about Bidri Wares on our blog, please follow this link  \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/bidri-indian-inlay\/\"\u003ehttps:\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/bidri-indian-inlay\/\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance\u003c\/em\u003e:-  UK art market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:–\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eDiameter 35cms, Height 1cm \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNational Museum, New Delhi, India Hookah\/Huqqa base featuring scenes from the Padamvat\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum, Hyderabad, Hookah\/Huqqa base with hunting scene and animals\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDr Anjali Pandey, Bidri Ware:  A Unique Craft of India, Vol 4 (Issue 3), International Journal of Research Granthaalayah, March 2016\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStephen A Markel, Bidri Ware [in LACMA]: Lyric Patterns\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMark Zebrowski, “Bidri:  Metalware from the Islamic Courts of India”, Art East, 1, 1982, pp. 27-ff\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSusan Stronge, \u003cem\u003eBidri Ware: Inlaid Metalwork from India. \u003c\/em\u003eEdition, Victoria \u0026amp; Albert Museum, London 1985\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOwen Jones, The Grammar of Ornament, Bernard Quaritch, London, 1868 pages 78-79\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eB N Goswamy, Metalware from the South, ‘Art and Soul, Spectrum, The Tribune, 7th August 2011\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34803737231510,"sku":"JC-BIDR-06804","price":4500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Bidri-Platter-Tray-Silver-Inlay-Hindu-Figural-Design-Rajasthan-India-1800-1850.jpg?v=1592591964"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-silver-tinder-box-flint-holder-with-flint-cacutta-kolkata-india-1800-50","title":"Antique Indian Silver Tinderbox With Flint, Calcutta, India – 1800\/50","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the days before matches were invented, a flint and steel were the fastest and most reliable way to start a fire and widely used.  They were so important that they would be kept on the person at all times, often hung around the neck or from a belt. A tinder box and flint would have been an indispensable piece of equipment for anyone wishing to light a fire and an essential piece of kit for those serving in the military or traveling out of the cities in India prior to the arrival of fast and reliable forms of transportation from city to city, specifically the railways. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe box would be used to store the fine dry tinder which would be initially required to start a fire. Certain dried leaves, fungi, wood shavings or charred cloth were favourite tinder, whichever material was most convenient and highly combustible. Once the fire was built, the flint would be struck repeatedly on a piece of steel, commonly a knife, which would produce small sparks.  These sparks would ignite a small pile of fine dry tinder which would be gently blown upon and fanned until a small flame was produced.  At that stage, larger pieces of dry tinder would be introduced before using this bundle to set alight to the larger twigs and branches necessary for a good fire. A good fire gave warmth, allowed cooking and warded off predatory animals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis antique Indian silver fire striker compendium comprises a box with a hinged lift up lid and a protruding silver thumbpiece to facilitate easy opening.  Below this hangs a curved silver frame to hold the flint.  The flint is in place and probably original. There is a sturdy ring to the top of the box which would accept a silver chain, leather thong or thick cord.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are two repousse and chased panels to front and back, both feature designs after illustrations by Solvyns and both have a connection with fire.  To the front is a copy of Solvyns portrait entitled ‘Paramhamsa, a Purum Hungse’. This was the name of a particular type of fakir who superstitious Hindus believed was a man who had descended from heaven and had lived for thousands of years without taking any nourishment.  They believed that if this man was thrown into water or fire, he would suffer no fatal effect from either experience. The inspiration for the back is another Solvyns illustration entitled ‘Sahagamana, A Sho Hogomon, 3’ which shows a widow about to step onto the funeral pyre of her late husband.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘When the Flemish artist Balthazar Solvyns arrived in Calcutta in 1791, the debate over sati (suttee) was just beginning as missionaries, amongst others, condemned official toleration of the \"dreadful practice\" and called for its suppression. Of all Hindu customs, none more fascinated--or appalled--the Europeans than \"suttee,\" the practice of widow-burning. The term sati is Sanskrit for \"virtuous woman,\" but it is used principally to refer to the faithful wife who \"becomes sati\" through self-immolation on the funeral pyre of her husband. Europeans erroneously took the word to mean the practice itself, and suttee, the European corruption, has become the conventional term for the wife's self-immolation. Solvyns uses neither suttee nor sati as terms in his description, but rather the Sanskrit word he spells phonetically from Bengali pronunciation. The practice by which the wife joins her husband in the flames and becomes sati is termed sahamarana, \"dying together,\" also known as sahagamana--Solvyns's Shoho-Gomon--meaning \"going together.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe practice was prevalent in Bengal in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Benoy Bhusan Roy, in 'Socioeconomic Impact of Sati in Bengal', writes that suttee was most frequent among Brahmins, but that the practice was found among the families of lower castes that had distinctive positions in wealth or property. Indeed, the possible increased frequency of suttee may have reflected an aspiration to higher social status among upwardly mobile sudra families. But, as official records in the early nineteenth century reveal, suttee was not limited to the more affluent. The practice was to be found among many castes and at every level of society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmongst European travelers in India during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, no description was complete without a reference to suttee--preferably with at least one eye-witness account! Pierre Sonnerat, who traveled in India in the 1770s, describes the practice and provides an engraving of an Indian woman going to be burned with the body of her husband. Another French traveler, Grandpre, writing of his experience in Bengal in 1789 and 1790, relates his own unsuccessful effort to rescue a beautiful young woman who was to become sati, and notes that the practice of suttee was particularly \"horrible\" in Bengal. Failed intervention was a frequent theme in European accounts, as in Thomas Twining's description of his thwarted effort to prevent a suttee some 60 miles outside Calcutta in 1792. Confirming accounts of restraints to prevent the woman's escape, Edward Thompson writes in Suttee that \"Especially in Bengal, [the woman] was often bound to the corpse with cords, or both bodies were fastened down with long bamboo poles curving over them like a wooden coverlet, or weighted down by logs.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost instances of suttee were described as \"voluntary\" acts of courage and devotion. But there were surely cases involving the use of force, drugs, or restraints. \"An Account of a Woman burning herself, By an Officer,\" appeared in the Calcutta Gazette in 1785, one of various instances of suttee reported periodically in Calcutta newspapers.  The observer describes the woman as likely under the influence of bhang or opium but otherwise \"unruffled.\" After she was lifted upon the pyre, she \"laid herself down by her deceased husband, with her arms about his neck. Two people immediately passed a rope twice across the bodies, and fastened it so tight to the stakes that it would have effectually prevented her from rising had she attempted.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Reverend William Ward, a Baptist missionary at Serampore, near Calcutta, and a contemporary of Solvyns, recounts his own witness of the practice (which he terms suhu-murunu ), as well as reported instances in the area of Calcutta. William Carey, the famed author of the Dictionary of the Bengali Language and Ward's colleague at the Serampore Mission, undertook a census of suttees in 1803 and counted 438 that had reportedly taken place that year, within a thirty mile radius of Calcutta.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn contrast to the expressions of horror in most accounts, an American merchant, Benjamin Crowninshield, described the suttee he witnessed while in Calcutta in 1789 with \"extraordinary detail\" and \"great sensitivity.\" In his ship's log, he concluded his sober account: \"Whether it is right or wrong, I leave it for other people to determine. . . . [I]t appeared very solemn to me. I did not think it was in the power of a human person to meet death in such a manner.\" Similarly, Maria Graham, in her Letters on India, published in l8l4, wrote sympathetically and without judgment of the practice--particularly remarkable at a time when European missionaries and Indian reformers were mounting their campaign against suttee.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWithin the city of Calcutta, under the jurisdiction of British law, suttee had been prohibited since 1798, but outside of Calcutta, the \"dreadful practice\" flourished in Bengal, some said, in epidemic proportions.  As the debate over widow-burning intensified, officials took steps to suppress this practice.  In 1812, a distinction was made between \"legal\" (voluntary) and \"illegal\" (involuntary) suttee.  Its complete abolition came under Lord William Bentinck through Regulation XVII of the Bengal Code, December 4, 1829, declaring ‘the practice of suttee, whether voluntary or not, illegal and punishable by the criminal courts.’ (Hardgrave)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrans Balthazar Solvyns (1760-1824) was an artist who was born in Antwerp in 1760 and later studied painting at the Antwerp Academy.  In 1791 he came to India to seek his fortune as an artist but initially struggled to make an impact and subsisted by undertaking a range of part-time jobs.  Noting the British interest in the diverse and exuberant Indian culture, he soon became fascinated by the Indian culture and people himself and started to learn Hindu and Sanskrit.  Encouraged by Sir William Jones, founder of the Royal Asiatic Society in Calcutta, he embarked on an ambitious project to produce \"250 coloured etchings descriptive of the manners, customs, character, dress and religious customs of the Hindoos\". \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSolvyns work was pioneering and provides us with much historical information today. “He began drawing his subjects from life, which included men and women of every possible caste or calling ranging from high-caste Brahmins to milk-women and sweepers. He portrayed many servants carrying out their specific duties within European households in Calcutta, such as a Sarkar, Hooka-bardar, Abdar etc. He also drew pictures of the colourful Indian festivals, the ascetics and mendicants who roamed about in the towns and villages, various forms of transport, including boats on the river, different kinds of pipes for smoking and a variety of musical instruments.”  His drawings were first published in Calcutta in 1799.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe silver is stamped with the letter ‘P’, and dates between the years 1800 and 1850.   One school of thought believes that these boxes were made in China for export to the Indian market whilst the other believes that they were actually made by Chinese silversmiths working in Calcutta and it is known that many fine Chinese craftsmen were working in Calcutta during the first half of the 19th century.      \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eUK Antiques Trade\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eHeight 4 cms; Width 5 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e  34 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston, Inventory Number 2014.869\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Representation of Sati: Four Eighteenth Century Etchings by Balthazar Solvyns, Robert L. Hardgrave, Jr, The University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSolvyns, A Collection of Two Hundred and Fifty Coloured Etchings (1799),      Sec. XII, No. 15. \"A Sho Hogomon, 3.\".  Plate 201. Sahagamana (pp. 430-32) and Sec. VII, No. 1. \"A Purum Hungse.\" Plate 135. Paramhamsa (pp. 314-15).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34803967590550,"sku":"JC-TIND-06805","price":1800.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Silver-Tinder-Boxflint-Holder-With-Flint-Cacutta-Kolkata-India-1800-50.jpg?v=1592593631"},{"product_id":"unusual-indian-silver-bowl-tutankhamun-large-size-signed-india-c-1925","title":"Unusual Indian Silver Bowl, Tutankhamun, Large Size, Signed, India – Circa 1925","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis extremely unusual antique Indian silver bowl is of large size, boasting a diameter of 34 cms and stands 18.5 cms high from base to rim.  It weighs just under two and a half kilograms. The bowl has been ornamented using repousse, chasing and engraving.  We believe that the bowl was made in the first quarter of the 20th century, probably shortly after Howard Carter, the British archaeologist and Egyptologist, became world famous after discovering the intact tomb KV62 in the Valley of the Kings, the resting place of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh, Tutankhamum, commonly referred to as ‘the boy king’ in November 1922.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePictures of this sensational tomb with its amazing contents featured heavily in newspapers around the world, resulting in a frenzy of interest. The images were heavily copied and inspired many artists to create objects in the Egyptian style which became the latest fashion.  There was a surge of interest in the ancient Egyptians, their mythology and the pantheon of Egyptian Gods. There is a vacant cartouche on the side of the bowl which can be found to the top of the principal border.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pictorial ‘signature’ of the maker has been engraved to the underside of the bowl.  This depicts a composite creature with the body of a winged horse with a peacock’s tail and a human face, which is known as a\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBuraq\u003c\/em\u003e. By choosing this symbol to mark his work, it also indicates that the silversmith who made the bowl was most probably Moslem, a follower of the Islamic faith.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Indian and Persian Islamic art, the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBuraq\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis depicted as having a beautiful, usually female, humanoid face with the body of a white horse, colourful wings attached to its shoulders and the tail of a peacock.  It is believed that the physical description of the creature might originate from a misinterpretation or mistake when translating the hadith texts of the Koran from Arabic to Persian. The phrase that was used was: “beautiful-faced creature”. This phrase captured the imagination of Indian and Persian artists and examples of 16th century paintings of a human-faced, horse-bodied\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBuraq\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eare known although in the scripture itself it was never written that the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBuraq\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewas winged or that it had a humanoid face.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA short distance under the rim is a repeating vegetal border with beaded borders which lies immediately above the deep Egyptian inspired principal border.  Below this, a narrow plain silver ribbon border provides contrast to the rich ornamentation and echoes the band of plain silver under the rim, balancing the design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe principal border depicts deities from the Egyptian patheon.  Often, the gods can be identified as such by their dress and the objects they hold or carry.  The animal headed staff or sceptre, called a\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ewas,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003etraditionally signified a male deity but here it seems also to have been used to denote a Goddess. The symbol of a staff with triangular appendage to the top, is also the picture representing the word ‘God’ in Egyptian hieroglyphs. Many of the figures also hold an ankh symbol.  This represents eternal life and a drawing of an ankh was the hieroglyph used for the word life. Commonly, the looped top of the ankh is held in the hand with the bottom of the cross only visible.  Many of the figures depicted on the bowl are holding an ankh. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe scenes on the bowl appear to be a composite of wall paintings and objects which were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun and ancient Egyptian beliefs.  Among the objects were the mummified remains of two of Tutankhamun's children, probably stillborn.  It seems likely that the bowl was commissioned as a memorial object for the elderly Indian gentleman with the moustache depicted in the principal border.  Perhaps he too had lost a baby, which might explain the theme chosen for the lower border. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first image shows, from left to right, the God Anubis (fully visible), the Goddess Nut and the God Osiris,  Osiris is weighing the heart of Tutamkhamun - represented by a miniature version of Tutankhamun - against the feathers in his scales.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Egyptian belief, the weighing of the heart was a ceremony where the God Anubis\/Osiris would judge the dead using a feather which represents the Goddess of truth and justice, Ma'at.  Hearts heavier or lighter than the feather were rejected and eaten by Ammit, Devourer of souls. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe next image appears to show (the dead) Tutankhamun kneeling on a chair waiting to hear the judgement from the weighing.  Behind him stands the God Horus holding out a torch.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second photo shows the God Amun, arguably the most important god in the Egyptian pantheon.  Amun adopts the traditional pose with his left leg forward. He can be identified by his characteristic flat-topped crown, supporting tall feathers. He has the Gods' braided beard with a curled tip and carries a flail in his left hand with a crook placed across his chest.  To his right is the jackal headed God Anubis, who appears again on the left hand side behind Osiris.  Anubis and Osiris are both connected with death and the afterlife.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the fourth image, under the vacant cartouche is an Indian gentleman with a moustache, seated.  To his right stands the God Horus.  The Indian gentleman appears in the scene again, seated next to Tutankhamun as they both wait to hear what their fate in the afterlife will be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe last image of the principal scene is believed to show the Goddess Wadjet standing behind the seated God Amun.  In front of  Amun a man holds out a swaddled baby.  This is thought to refer to the stillborn children buried with their father in the tomb.  Wadjet has her arms raised to receive the baby.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe silver background has been finely incised to contrast with the raised three-dimensional figures with their elaborate and highly detailed clothing. Large flowering plants, vines and creepers fill the spaces around the figures, adding interest to the scenes.  Some of the flowers are in very high relief, stylised but also handled with sensitivity and finely modeled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe jolly border around the base is of very different style and depicts a frieze of animals with musical instruments. Although the Indian deity Ganesh was often depicted playing musical instruments, such as the tabla drums, we have been unable to identify examples from the Indian artistic tradition where a group of various animals are playing musical instruments. It is therefore likely that the inspiration for this charming border stems from another artistic tradition. We have identified the European and\/or Japanese as strong possibilities, albeit with an Indian twist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis border is a whimsical flight of fantasy which holds universal appeal and has been well executed. It is particularly appealing to children or the ‘child in all of us’ and follows the tradition of anthropomorphising animals, bestowing them with human emotions, drawing them undertaking human tasks or dressing them in human clothes. The popular books written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter would be a good example of this genre.  There does not appear to be an obvious connection between the subject matter of the principal border and the lower border save for the animal headed deities of the former and the animal musicians of the latter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmongst the animals portrayed in the lower border are four birds, including a peacock and a cock, whose voices or bird calls are their instruments; a bull and a cow playing gongs;  a dog playing a tambourine, an elephant a piano; a tiger playing drums; a monkey a horn and a boar a trumpet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are three potential sources dating from the 18th and 19th centuries which may, singly or in combination, have inspired this design.  First is the story of \"The Town Musicians of Bremen\" (Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten), a popular fairy tale which was first published by the Brothers Grimm in ‘Grimms’ Fairy Tales’ in 1819. It tells the story of four aging domestic animals, a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster, who after a lifetime of hard work and service are no longer wanted by their former masters. Eventually, independently, they all decide to run away from home and meet each other as they journey, deciding to band together and become town musicians in the German city of Bremen. In the 1920s, a charming series of postcards illustrating this story was produced in Stuttgart with illustrations by the German artist, Oskar Herrfurth. The second source is whimsical paintings from the 1880s by the Japanese artist, Kawanabe Kyosai.  Two examples are held within the collection of the British Museum, one depicts a group of dancing frogs, some of which are playing musical instruments and another depicts a Shinto band comprising a mixed group of animals playing musical instruments.  The third source is porcelain from the Meissen factory.  In the mid-18th century, Johann Joachim Kändler (1706-1775) was an artist at the Meissen factory who was responsible for some of Meissen’s most notable designs during its ‘Golden Age’.  Kandler’s ‘monkey orchestra’, a large group of individual porcelain figures of monkeys playing musical instruments, became one of Meissen’s most notable and celebrated designs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:-  \u003c\/em\u003eEuropean Art Market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eDiameter 34 cms; Height 18.5 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e   2420 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStatuette of Amun, Metropolitan Museum, New York, inventory no. 26.7.1412\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Brothers Grimm, Grimms Fairy Tales, Germany 1819\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJutta Assul and Georg Jäger, The Bremen Town Musicians at\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.goethezeitportal.de\"\u003ewww.goethezeitportal.de\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe works of Beatrix Potter, Frederick Warne \u0026amp; Co, London\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe British Museum, London, inventory numbers 1881, 1210, 0.1865 and 1881, 1210, 0.1879\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34804077232278,"sku":"JC-SILV-06806","price":8000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Unusual-Indian-Silver-Bowl-Tutankhamun-Large-Size--India-Circa-1925.jpg?v=1599127680"},{"product_id":"antique-japanese-silver-gold-vase-large-signed-mitsukoshi-japan-meiji-c-1910","title":"Antique Japanese Silver \u0026 Gold Vase, Signed, Mitsukoshi Japan – Meiji C.1910","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis magnificent antique Japanese silver vase is of good height and weight using a good gauge of high-quality silver, Japanese silver is normally a higher grade than sterling silver. It has been inlaid with gold in places and was made during the Meiji or early Taisho periods. The vase is of simple baluster shape and has been ornamented with great artistry and a lightness of touch which shows great deftness and mastery of the medium.  The curvaceous simplicity of the shape means that the onlooker is not distracted by the vase itself but focuses entirely on the figural scene. As with all great Japanese art, the scene has a profound sense of space which has only been achieved through great planning, care and forethought.  \u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}'\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe figural scene shows seven men and a child within a bamboo grove. The figures are possibly participating in a ritual; one unrolls a scroll, whilst the other men and the child watch. A couple of the men have unusual head coverings, probably religious and many carry distinctive rootwood sticks. In Japan, sacred bamboo groves around Shinto shrines held a clear function of warding off evil which is similar to the Chinese beliefs that bamboo drives off evil spirits. Similar beliefs are common across Asia. The most famous bamboo grove in Japan is the Chikurin no Michi “竹林の道” near Kyoto. Every December during the Hanatoro Festival illuminated lanterns are placed there.  The object carried by the boy in the figural scene might well be a lantern. \u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}'\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn places, details have been inlaid with gold, the edge of kimono sleeves and hems, head coverings and details of the basket or lantern carried by the child, creating contrast and interest through this embellishment. The faces of the figures are characterful and individual, the scene has been superbly rendered with a light and sure hand as if sketched.\u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}'\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe maker’s signature has not been identified but his name can be found inscribed to the body of the vase. To the underside of the base, there is the four character ‘jungin’ mark, meaning pure silver, which was only used during the Meiji period (1868-1912) and shortly thereafter as well as the retailer’s mark, \u003ci\u003eMitsukoshi,\u003c\/i\u003e showing that the vase was sold by one of their high-end department stores. The famous \u003ci\u003eMitsukoshi\u003c\/i\u003e department stores were modelled on American department stores and started in 1905. They were the first department stores in Japan and provided a new shopping experience for the Japanese consumer. They were very popular and the chain of stores expanded quickly. They sold a wide range of goods including jewellery and silverware.  Around the underside of the base is an inscription which refers to the Nagano Prefecture, a mountainous region which is in the centre of Japan.\u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}'\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn absolutely stunning antique Japanese silver vase, ornamented by a master and in outstanding original condition! Despite its age, this vase would look fabulous in a contemporary or minimalist interior as well as those with a more traditional aesthetic.\u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}'\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize – Height 24cms; Width 13cms \u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}'\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeight – 694 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34820094984342,"sku":"JC-GOLD-06807","price":3200.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Japanese-Silver-And-Gold-Vase-Large-And-Signed-Mitsukoshi-Japan-Meiji-C-1910.jpg?v=1592700658"},{"product_id":"antique-sumatran-silver-box-applied-gold-sumatra-indonesia-18th-century","title":"Antique Sumatran Silver Box, Applied Gold, Sumatra, Indonesia – 18th Century","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThis silver oblong box with applied gold on lid and a thumb piece made of suasa (an alloy of gold and copper). Repousse folate work on top and sides, and chasing on underside.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThe gold work on the lid is hammered, the ‘rivets’ can be seen from the inside. Each of the three gold pieces contrasts well with the silver and is chased to fit with the surrounding scrollwork. The handle with the reddish colour of suasa, which is occasionally seen in Malay and Sumatran silverwork.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSources: Roth, H. Ling. Oriental Silverwork Malay and Chinese. London: Oxford University Press, 1993.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eProvenance: Europe\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eWeight: 238 grams, Height: 5.5 cms, Width: 12 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eItem: #188 \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34824137998486,"sku":"JC-SILV-06809","price":3800.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Sumatran-Antique-Silver-Box-Applied-Gold-Sumatra-Indonesia-18th-Century.jpg?v=1592738704"},{"product_id":"antique-malay-bronze-kettle-malaysia-19th-century","title":"Antique Malay Bronze Kettle, Malaysia – 19th Century","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThis impressive and heavy bronze kettle with a removable lid and hinged handle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eCast figures of people and animals ornament the wide rim around the body. The figures include dogs, lions and mythical creatures. Each figure has first been cast and then attached to the kettle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eTwo warriors on either side of the rim, each in special garb and carrying a large sword.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eTwo identical humans with demonic faces support the handle. A lizard is carved on the top of the handle and the sides of the handle are spiked.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eA similar kettle, within the collection of the National Museum of Singapore, is illustrated in ‘\u003cem\u003eMalay Brassware\u003c\/em\u003e‘ by Baldev Singh, and attributed to Sabah in East Malaysia. Another kettle, also within the Asian Civilization Museum collection, is attributed to Brunei (04066).  These differ from our kettle in that the cast figures are smaller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eBrass vessels were symbols of high social status and used on special occasions. Ornamented brass kettles were used during weddings and festivals to serve drinking water. As treasured items, they were handed down from generation to generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eSingh, Baldev. Malay brassware. Singapore: National Museum, 1985.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eHeight: 32 cms, Width: 38 cms \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34824222965910,"sku":"JC-BRON-06810","price":3400.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Malay-Bronze-Kettle-Malaysia-19th-Century.jpg?v=1599123402"},{"product_id":"antique-sumatran-silver-vases-a-pair-riau-sultanate-sumatra-indonesia-19th-century","title":"Antique Sumatran Silver Vases, A Pair, Riau Sultanate, Sumatra, Indonesia – 19th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThese unusual large vases are finely decorated with complex floral, foliate and geometric designs.  They date to the nineteenth century and were made in the Riau Sultanate, Sumatra, Indonesia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe vases stand on spreading domed feet which are decorated with bands of simple geometric\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ebiku gunungan\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(mountain ranges) and meandering fern decoration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo the lower part of the spherical bodies is a band of larger and more complex\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ebiku gunungan\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003edecoration and foliate tendrils within heart shaped cartouches. At the widest point of the bodies, ribbons of scrolling foliage edged with simple\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ebiku gunungan\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eborders surround the vases. To the upper part, four semicircular panels of floral decoration with zigzag,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ebiku gunungan\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eborders hang down from the necks, interspersed with foliate swags and drops. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tubular necks are also ornamented with ribbons of scrolling foliage with simple\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ebiku gunungan\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eborders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is extremely rare to find an identical pair of these impressive vases. A similar single vase can be found in the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde Collection in the Netherlands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e        UK Private Collection\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSize:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e                         Height 28 cms, width 20 cms max\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e                  1078 grammes (combined weight)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRaimy Che-Ross, Malay Silverware, Arts of Asia, Volume 42, Issue 1, January-February 2012, pps 68-83\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Leiden, Nederlands, Collection Number 2556-10\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34824667857046,"sku":"JC-SILV-06811","price":4500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Sumatran-Silver-Vases-A-Pair-Riau-Sultanate-Sumatra-Indonesia-19th-Century.jpg?v=1592742037"},{"product_id":"antique-malay-silver-lidded-water-container-batil-bertudong-malaysia-19th-century","title":"Antique Malay Silver Lidded Water Container, Malaysia – 19th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis very fine and richly ornamented Malay silver water container has a pull off cover and has been made from a high grade of silver.  The craftsmanship is extremely good and the vessel has been very well made by an experienced silversmith; the quality of the chasing being particularly fine.  These types of containers are known as\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBatil Bertudong\u003c\/em\u003e.  This example is believed to have come from the Lower Perak region and date to the nineteenth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree examples of these vessels, which he calls\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBatil Bertutop,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eare illustrated in Roth’s book, 'Oriental Silverwork Malay and Chinese', on pages 62-69.   In the examples illustrated, the ornamentation of the cover and the container are very different from each other and this example is the same. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe container has been chased with a small circular pattern to the underside of the base which resembles a\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ecap mohor\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eseal with the central part left blank or vacant to take an inscription.  To the side of the bowl, there is a repeating chased border of square-shaped\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003esegi belimbing,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eor starfruit, ornamentation under a geometric border.  Below this is a border of complex zig-zag \u003cem\u003ebiku gunungan\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003emountain ranges design has been overlaid with stylised foliate elements and alternating lengths of punched drops below.  Looking at this border is confusing; looked at in one way and these could be pendant bell-shaped flowers but looked at in another way, faces and possibly butterflies, emerge.  This same uncertainty and ambiguity occurs when you look at the chasing to the ribs; is it just a pattern or has each rib been adorned with a fish?  This intriguing visual play is reminiscent of the art of M. C. Escher.  It is a testament to the artist’s skill and to his sense of fun, perhaps his way of creating interest and forming a connection with anyone admiring or using the bowl he made, focusing their attention on his creation as they seek to make sense of what they are looking at.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe high relief ornamentation to the cover is, as was usual, entirely different.  This contrasts with the ornamentation of the container below. The distinctive ribs, which taper to a point at the top and the bottom, divide the two fields of ornament.  To the centre of the top is a ring handle to lift the lid, surrounded by high relief concentric bands of repousse and chased ornamentation to the start of the ribbed mid-section.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis bowl would have been used to contain clean boiled water or sweetmeats and they are still used for this purpose on special traditional occasions.  To offer the contents to another person, the covered bowl would have been placed on a handkerchief spread over the palm of the hand of the person offering, who would then offer the bowl to the other party.  The person accepting would remove the lid and, if it contained water, there would be a small bowl or cup floating on the surface, which they would take, fill and drink from.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e  North American art market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e Height 14 cms, Width 16 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e            444 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eH Ling Roth,’ Oriental Silverwork Malay and Chinese’, Pages 62-69., Truslove \u0026amp; Hanson Ltd, London 1910\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRaimy Che-Ross, Malay Silverware, Arts of Asia, Volume 42, Issue 1, January-February 2012, pages 68-83\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34824902377622,"sku":"JC-WATE-06812","price":1800.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Malay-Silver-Lidded-Water-Container-Batil-Bertudong-Malaysia-19th-Century.jpg?v=1592744752"},{"product_id":"antique-malay-silver-bowl-mangkuk-jerelok-malaysia-early-19th-century","title":"Antique Malay Silver Bowl (mangkuk Jerelok), Malaysia – Early 19th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis very fine Malay silver bowl, also known as a\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003emangkuk jerelok\u003c\/em\u003e, is a large multi-purpose bowl which was used to hold pot pourri, fruit etcetera and was sometimes used as a lustration vessel; holding the holy water during the ritual lustration rites for a Malay bride and groom.  This bowl has been made from high grade silver of a good gauge.  The design is unusual and the craftsmanship is of fine quality, suggesting it was made during the early nineteenth century.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe silversmith has paid great attention to detail.  The wide repousse and chased foliate border below the rolled rim is particularly fine and features scrolling ferns or\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eawan kalok paku\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003epattern, the stylised foliage is sharply defined and set against a punched ground.  The panel is contained within fine rope borders to top and bottom.  The silver in the twenty-four panels below has been handled with the greatest delicacy; it has been gently fluted and fashioned so that each panel resembles the petal of a lotus flower and the borders are defined so that it appears separate from neighbouring petals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bowl is supported by a deep cylindrical plain silver pedestal foot which raises the bowl up from the surface it has been placed upon and serves to show off the floriform design to best effect; or so it appears.  When one actually looks inside the bowl, the central part of the bottom of the bowl steps down again to a lower level, with a well at the bottom sunken which extends part way down the inside of the ‘pedestal’. (This stepped arrangement almost resembles the design of a traditional soup plate when viewed from above.)  So, in reality, the true pedestal is only very small.  This is a highly unusual feature which we have not seen in any silver bowl before.    \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eUK antique trade\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:–\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eHeight 7cms; Width 15cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e274 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eH Ling Roth,’ Oriental Silverwork Malay and Chinese’, Truslove \u0026amp; Hanson Ltd, London 1910\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRaimy Che-Ross, Malay Silverware, Arts of Asia, Volume 42, Issue 1, January-February 2012, pages 68-83\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34825280028822,"sku":"JC-SILV-06813","price":1400.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Malay-Silver-Bowl-Mangkuk-Jerelok-Malaysia-Early-19th-Century.jpg?v=1592745597"},{"product_id":"antique-bronze-ewer-aftaba-mughal-inscription-northern-india-18th-century","title":"Antique Bronze Ewer (aftaba), Mughal, Inscription, N. India – 18th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis very fine and attractive antique Indian chased bronze ewer is a superb example of an 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecentury\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eaftaba\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand of 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecentury Indian metalwork craftsmanship and expertise.  Mughal Ewers, (\u003cem\u003eaftabas),\u003c\/em\u003e originated in Persia and the Middle East.  The style arrived in India in the early fourteenth century.  This ewer is thought to have been made in a workshop in the north of India.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ewer has been cast and the metal is thick. The surface has been finely ornamented with chased floral motifs and scrollwork covering nearly the entire surface of the body, handle, spout and cover.  The shape of the body resembles a fig which has fluted or gadrooned panels from the waist down.  There is a short engraved inscription, comprising three symbols, at the waist, visible most clearly in the sixth photo.  The body rests upon an integral pedestal, of hexagonal shape, which is supported by four short and sturdy brass legs.  Around the base of the body there is a frieze of stiffly pointed lotus leaves raised in relief, with each leaf extending a short way up a flute and with one leaf per panel.  Zebrowski says that these leaves are ‘a throw-back to the lotus thrones of medieval Hindu and Buddhist metal sculpture’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMark Zebrowski shows an example of a very similar, near identical, ewer although the lid is missing and there is no mention of an inscription. The ewer is from the collection of the Staatliche Museen, Berlin. He pictures the ewer at Plate 234, describing it as ‘a fine example … lightly engraved with an overall pattern of floral scrollwork’.  He also cites another ewer, in the Bellak collection, which is not shown.  He believes that these two were undoubtedly from the same North Indian workshop.  Given the strong similarity between our ewer and the one with the missing lid illustrated in Zebrowski, it would seem highly probable that this ewer also comes from that same North Indian workshop.   \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ewer is topped by a hinged and high domed lid with a lotus bud finial.  When the lid is opened, it rests upon a figural mask at the top of the handle.  The spout is long and linear; it emanates from the widest party of the body and angles steeply upward, ending roughly in line with the rim of the ewer.  There are channels dividing the ornamentation into panels along the length of the spout.  Approximately one third of the way along, a raised ring around the circumference acts as a finger hold when pouring the jug. Steadying the spout allows accurate pouring as the ewer would be extremely heavy when full of water.  The ornamented surface also assists the bearer’s grip, which is particularly important with sweating hands in the savage summer heat. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe scrolling S-shaped handle has a stylized animal’s head, possibly a cheetah or a lion, to the top of the handle at a short distance from the rim of the ewer which serves both as a thumb hold and a rest for the open lid. To the end of the handle is an open-mouthed dragon, sometimes referred to as Kang style, which suggests a Central Asian influence.  Stylistically, the sinuous curving line of the handle forms a complete contrast to the rigid angular spout but this was customary. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother example, illustrated in Griggs' Jounal of Indian Art at Plate 113, is of similar shape but without the fluting to the body. It is described as ‘Northern Indian or Persian Water Vase’.  No date is proferred.  Although the ornamentation differs, the shape of the lid, handle, animal head thumb-piece and dragon’s head to the lower end of the handle, are all markedly similar to those of this ewer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:- \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eNorth American Art Market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:- \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eHeight 31 cms; Width 33 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMark Zebrowski, Gold, Silver and Bronze from Mughal India, Laurence King, London 1997\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMuseum of Islamic Art, Benaki Museum, Athens, Inventory Number 13127\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Journal of Indian Art and Industry, Volume 9, Pages 67-70 and Plate 113, Specimens of Indian Metalwork by J H Rivett-Carnac, published by W H Griggs, London  1884-1912\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34825362702486,"sku":"JC-BRON-06814","price":3200.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Bronze-Ewer-Aftaba-Mughal-Inscription-Northern-India-18th-Century.jpg?v=1592746524"},{"product_id":"antique-rosewater-sprinkler-bronze-mughal-india-early-18th-century","title":"Antique Rosewater Sprinkler, Bronze, Mughal India – Early 18th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-contrast=\"none\"\u003eThis is a rosewater sprinkler of cast bronze from Mughal India. \u003c\/span\u003eIt rises from a spread hexagonal foot to a body of palmette form. The ridges are broad and flat with very decisive edges. \u003cspan data-contrast=\"none\"\u003eThe tubular neck leads to the sprinkler’s domed head.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"201341983\":0,\"335551550\":6,\"335551620\":6,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}'\u003e Atop the domed head is a small, beaded finial. Surrounding the head is a round, flat disk shape with serrated edges. The neck unscrews perfectly from the body of the sprinkler. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-contrast=\"none\"\u003eMughal bronze and other works of art were produced during a period of cultural, literary and artistic exploration which lasted from the 16th century until the 18th century. The rise and fall of the Mughal Empire changed the political landscape in India and inspired some of the finest antique metalwork. Only a very small portion of Indian bronze made during this period and before the 19th century has survived. This can be explained by the fact that labour was cheap in India and consequently it was the custom that when fashions changed or an object was damaged, an item would be melted down and reformed into something new.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}'\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-contrast=\"none\"\u003eHeight: 32.5 cm, Width: 11 cm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"201341983\":0,\"335551550\":6,\"335551620\":6,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}'\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-ccp-props='{\"201341983\":0,\"335551550\":6,\"335551620\":6,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}'\u003eWeight: 560 grammes\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eItem: #161\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34827342315670,"sku":"JC-ROSE-06816","price":2200.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Rosewater-Sprinkler-Bronze-Mughal-India-Early-18th-Century.jpg?v=1592765420"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-ewer-aftaba-cast-brass-mughal-india-18th-century","title":"Antique Indian Ewer (aftaba), Cast Brass, Mughal India – 18th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe body of the ewer is pear shape and has a hinged domed lid with an architectural finial.  The s-shaped handle ends in a stylized lion’s head and shows a central Asian influence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChased floral decorative pattern cover the entire surface including the body,lid, handle and spout. Mughal Ewers, or\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eaftabas,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eoriginated in Persia and the Middle East.  The style arrived in India in the early fourteenth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeight: 32 cms, Length: 26 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eItem: #163\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34827895734422,"sku":"JC-EWER-06817","price":1800.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Ewer-Aftaba-Cast-Brass-Mughal-India-18th-Century.jpg?v=1592766117"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-enamelled-minakari-oil-dispenser-india-18th-century","title":"Antique Indian Enamelled (Minakari) Oil Dispenser, India - 18th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis antique Indian enamelled oil dispenser was likely made for use within a large residential dwelling or temple complex, where many lamps needed filling and would have been used to hold the oil to fill the lamps.  In India, oil lamps would have provided all supplementary light to the property once the sun had gone down.  The vessel was designed to hold the oil safely and to pour the oil into the lamps without spilling any.  This was important for three reasons; minimising fire hazard, minimising accidents caused by slippage on spilt oil and minimising costs.  It is not known where this oil dispenser was made but probably Jaipur.\u003cstrong\u003e  \u003c\/strong\u003eHendley states that there were thirteen principal enamelling centres and that in Jaipur, one of the most important centres, the lotus flower design was a traditional favourite.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe oil pourer has been ornamented with colourful enamels of dark blue, dark green, cream, black and turquoise.  The neck can be unscrewed from the base at a point immediately above the handles. The neck has been ornamented with repeating zig-zag bands which contain green enamel. A similar pattern has been used to ornament the stem of an 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century Indian turban ornament, or \u003cem\u003esarpech,\u003c\/em\u003e within the David Collection. As some of the enamel to the neck has now been lost, the underlying structure of the hatched surface beneath is revealed. Hatching was a process used to help the enamel bond better to the surface of the metal.  Travelling downwards, there are two protruding knops separated by a geometric band which create a place for the fingers to support the neck whilst guiding the upper end of the neck into the correct position before pouring. The lowest portion of the neck contains a border of creamy lotus blossoms with green leaves, portrayed in a naturalistic style.  The bulge which follows has a turquoise enamel ground with golden fish, a naïve depiction of a river and an arrangement which places the lotus flowers above in context.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lower part of the vessel has two handles ornamented with stacked, or repeating chevrons containing black enamel and recalling the zigzag border to the neck above.  Within the David Collection is an 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century enamelled lidded bowl where a similar chevron pattern has been used to ornament the foot and rims. Inlaid chevrons to the rims of bidri wares of the same period are found frequently. As before, lotuses follow with their creamy petals and green leaves.  This time the depiction is more formal in style with the side views of the large upright lotus pods on their straight vertical stems interspersed by fish dominating.  Following on, another depiction of a river with turquoise water and golden fish with a stylised floral and foliate border of dark blue enamel beneath. Within the David Collection is an 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century enamelled hookah base from Lucknow which portrays a river in a similar way and using similar colour.   The principal border is deep and encircles the widest part of the body of the dispenser.  It is a study of the lotus with flowers once again dwarfed by the larger lotus pods which are portrayed in a more relaxed and more naturalistic arrangement here. A narrow ‘fish and river’, border below leads down to the rounded underside of the base. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo the centre of the underside is a fully open lotus flower, with a green leaf nestling between adjacent petals, depicted as if viewed from above. This medallion framed by a simple geometric border of black enamel and, in turn, surrounded by a repeating lotus pod border in formal style.  Each pod or seed head is flanked by a large leaf at either side with the pods separated by a slender, drop shaped arrangement of creamy lotus petals.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe near spherical body to the base of the dispenser forms the reservoir which holds the oil, ensuring that the maximum weight lies nearest the base.  The underside of the base itself is rounded not flat and should something knock into the vessel when it had been placed on a table or shelf, this effective design would work together with gravity so that it rocked and wobbled on its base rather than toppling straight over and spilling the oil.  There are strong similarities of design with the ubiquitous toddlers’ ‘spillproof’ training cups in common use today which, have a similar shaped base and two handles, placed one at either side.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA smaller, near spherical reservoir which feeds the oil to the long neck, can be seen above the handles,  Grasping both handles, the dispenser could be quickly inverted above the lamp and held in the vertical position until the lamp was full when the vessel would be reversed with another quick movement.  The secondary reservoir and very long neck have the effect of delaying the emergence of the oil by milliseconds, again helping to avoid unnecessary spillage. The oil would be dispensed via the single small hole at the top of the neck. The top part of the vessel unscrews from the base to accommodate filling and cleaning, as can be seen in the photos.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe art of enamelling is believed to have been brought to India from Persia and most enamellers or \u003cem\u003eminakars\u003c\/em\u003e were members of the Sikh religion in the Punjab who worked in their own homes, assisted by members of their family.  They did not deal with the public directly but worked as sub-contractors to the trade. A metal worker would form the object and his chaser would chase the surface of the object with the chosen design, hollowing out depressions to accept the enamel and hatching them to facilitate the bonding of the two materials; a lengthy and painstaking process. It would then be passed to the \u003cem\u003eminakar\u003c\/em\u003e to enamel. This type of enamelling is usually referred to as baisse-taille enamel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsually, the enamellers did not manufacture the vitreous materials they used for enamelling themselves but bought it in and then ground it down and mixed the colours in their workshop. The enamelling process was lengthy and very complex, requiring many different stages of cleaning with acid, firing and burnishing. Objects were fired in clay ovens and were placed on pieces of talc during firing. Different colours of enamel required different firing temperatures, necessitating a strict order of application. If one firing was not successful, it would be redone until it was perfect. Reportedly, some elaborate pieces required as many as eighteen separate firings with cleaning and polishing between each firing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:-   \u003c\/em\u003eUK Trade\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:-   \u003c\/em\u003eHeight  21.5    cms;  Width 7.5  cms \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:-          \u003c\/em\u003e288  grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eColonial and Indian Exhibition, 1886 Official Catalogue, W Clowes, London 1886\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eH Hendley, Journal of Indian Art, Issue 2, Volume 1, W Griggs, London 1886\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHenry Baden-Powell, Hand-Book of the Manufactures \u0026amp; Arts of the Punjab, Punjab printing Company, India 1872\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe David Collection, Copenhagen, inventory numbers 2\/1981 (Sarpech), 20\/2018 (Huqqa base), 1\/1982 (Lidded Bowl)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":35372071485590,"sku":"JC-OIL-06821","price":6500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Indian-Enamelled-Oil-Dispenser.jpg?v=1599136883"},{"product_id":"antique-sumatran-parcel-gilt-betel-container-sumatra-indonesia-18th-century","title":"Antique Sumatran Silver Parcel Gilt Betel Container, Indonesia - 18th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis very fine antique Sumatran parcel gilt silver filigree betel container is of bellied hexagonal shape and comprises three parts:  the filigree container which stands on six filigree curled leaf shaped feet, a lift off filigree cover and a removable hexagonal silver gilt liner.  Although a number of 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century Sumatran silver filigree betel boxes are known, the design of this box is fascinating and extremely unusual, particularly with respect to the applied braided silver ropework to the edges and the gilt ‘tribal style’ figures, resembling owls, which appear almost three dimensional and as if illuminated by moonlight, positioned against the richly gilded metal behind them. These figures can be found at the mid-point of each of the six sides and influenced by the metalwork of the Batak people. The filigree cover has been lined with gilded sheet silver to the underside and has also been ornamented to the interior with applied filigree floral and foliate elements to the flat section to the top, once the cover is in place. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis container is an absolute \u003cem\u003etour de force\u003c\/em\u003e of filigree work which uses wires of different thicknesses and profiles in a variety of different ways.  The craftsmanship is superb, the design has been planned with great care and imagination.  It has been executed flawlessly. The box bears no silver marks, but the metal has been tested and the tests confirmed that it has been made from high grade silver whilst the finial, tribal panel designs and removable hexagonal liner are of silver gilt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis container was made to safely store and carry the array of ingredients needed to prepare a betel quid. Betel containers were important objects which reflected the status of their owners. Chewing betel and offering betel to guests were important rituals which permeated all aspects of everyday life and ceremonies were part of the prevailing social and business etiquette.  The removable gilt liner would have been filled with smaller boxes, tools and packages containing all the ingredients necessary to prepare a betel quid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1784, William Marsden published ’The History of Sumatra’, following his travels to the island.  In Chapter 15, he discusses the betel ceremony and describes two containers owned by the Sultan of Moco-moco which seem to compare closely to this one in terms of their size, shape and being fashioned from precious metals.  Marsden wrote:-\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eThis custom has been accurately described by various writers, and therefore it is almost superfluous to say more on the subject than that the Sumatrans universally use it, carry the ingredients constantly about them, and serve it to their guests on all occasions--the prince in a gold stand, and the poor man in a brass box or mat bag. The betel-stands of the better rank of people are usually of silver embossed with rude figures. The Sultan of Moco-moco was presented with one by the India Company, with their arms on it; and he possesses beside another of gold filigree. The form of the stand is the frustum of a hexagonal pyramid reversed, about six or eight inches in diameter. It contains many smaller vessels fitted to the angles, for holding the nut, leaf, and chunam, which is quicklime made from calcined shells; with places for the instruments (kachip) employed in cutting the first, and spatulas for spreading the last.’\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are most grateful to Jan Veenendaal, an expert on objects from this region and author of ‘Asian art and Dutch Taste’, amongst other works, for his expert opinion and assistance in helping us to identify this container’s origin and date of manufacture.  Jan believes that it was made in West Sumatra and dates to the 18th century, as the style of the filigree is consistent with other 18th century examples and 19th century filigree from the area was of a very different style.  He thought that it was probably made for a member of the European community who was living in Sumatra.  Another possibility might be that it was commissioned by a European as a gift for a Batak ruler or senior member of the tribe as we know from botanist, Charles Miller’s letters of 1772, quoted by William Marsden, that it was customary to bring gifts when visiting a Batak chief.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe European ex-patriot community in Sumatra comprised Dutch and Germans working for the Dutch East India Company (V.O.C.) and British in Bencoolen (now Bengkulu) a British possession on the west coast, south of Padang, which they held from 1685 to 1824.  They had a smaller factory in Natar from the mid eighteenth century, close to Batak lands, to facilitate trade with the tribe, later establishing a post at Tappanuli in the heart of the Batak lands. From the Batak they obtained camphor, benzoin, cassia, brass wire and fresh produce for trade and provisioning ships. The British of Bencoolen managed plantations of nutmeg and pepper vines which were grown for export and they also exported Trippany, Bichos do Mar and edible birds’ nests. In his book of 1837, Edmund Roberts provides a vivid description of Bencoolen around 1833, about ten years after the territory had been ceded to the Netherlands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEuropeans acquired filigree objects for their own use, to give as gifts and\/or to resell for profit to European traders who, in turn, supplied retailers and wealthy aristocratic collectors back in Europe who were always looking for something different to add to their collections.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJan was certain that this betel container was made in Sumatra during the 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century but added that he had never seen another example which incorporated Batak tribal style elements.   He confirmed that the shape of the container was typical of objects from Padang, West Sumatra, home of the Meningkabau people and that the tribal figural elements and braided silver ropes were in the style of the Batak people.  Similar braided metal ropes are also found in tribal jewellery from the archipelago.  These decorative braided ropes feature prominently in this betel container’s design – applied as a triple row around the lower edge of the cover and as a single rope delineating the angles formed by the intersections of the six sides, running all the way down from finial to pedestal. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarsden wrote that on festival days, the young women of the Batak tribe wore all gold jewellery instead of their usual tin and brass, including earrings, hairpins fashioned like birds or dragons, hollow bangles around their upper arms and three cornered breastplates.  When describing the Batak mens’ clothing he says that they wore a scarf over their shoulders which they were fond of adorning with strings and tassels.  It is probable that the men’s \u003cem\u003epassementerie\u003c\/em\u003e strings and the women’s bird form hairpins have provided the inspiration for and been referenced in this design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to Marsden, the Batak had three deities and the chief of these was Bataraguru, the ruler of heaven and father of all mankind.  In the Batak’s version of the legend of the great flood, Bataraguru’s daughter, named Puti-orla-bulan, descended to earth on a white owl but there was nowhere on the flooded earth to set down so her father sent down a lofty mountain from heaven and she lived there.  Whilst she lived on earth, she gave birth to three sons and three daughters and the whole human race came from her descendants.  It is probable that the owl figures ornamenting the sides of the container may reference this belief.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Europe, King Louis XIV of France championed the collection of filigree objects during the seventeenth century. Following his lead, the fashion became widespread and filigree objects were coveted, pursued, and collected with a passionate intensity. Whilst some filigree was made in Europe, much more was imported from the East, including India, China, and the wide trading area between these two, which included Sumatra, where filigree production is well documented.  Writing in the late 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century, William Marsden described Sumatra as the ‘emporium of eastern riches’. For centuries, this island was one of the important trading areas on the maritime silk road which connected Europe and the Middle East with Indonesia, India, China and beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany fine filigree objects came to Europe from Sumatra, often resulting from private trades instigated by individual Europeans living and working there, particularly those connected with the V.O.C., also known as the Dutch East India Company.  Many of the V.O.C.’s 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century warehouse and cargo inventories in Batavia (Java) refer to ‘West Coast Filigree’ or ‘West Coast Work’ indicating that an object, or objects, had been made on the West Coast of Sumatra. The city of Padang was the centre for Sumatran filigree production which was much admired in Europe. Mostly, Padang was under Dutch control during the 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century save for a few months in 1781 and from 1795 to 1819, two periods when it came under British control.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarsden wrote, ‘\u003cem\u003eThere is no manufacture in that part of the world; and perhaps I might be justified in saying, in any part of the world, that has been more admired and celebrated than the fine gold and silver filigree of Sumatra. This however is strictly speaking, the work of the Malay and not of the original inhabitants\u003c\/em\u003e.’ Later, he adds ‘\u003cem\u003eThe Malays are the sole fabricators of the exquisite gold and silver filigree, the manufacture of which has been particularly described.’\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn ‘Asian Art and Dutch Taste’, Jan Veenendaal describes the versatility of the craftsmen.  ‘\u003cem\u003eThe Goldsmiths of Padang, who were of Malay origin, travelled throughout Sumatra and worked in the required style. This might include strong Chinese ornament for a client in a centre such as Palembang where there was an important Chinese community\u003c\/em\u003e.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis betel container is an exceptional and highly unusual example of 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century Sumatran filigree which combines elements of the Meningkabau and Batak cultures. Exhibiting exceptional artistry and outstanding craftsmanship, it is in remarkable original condition with no damage or losses of filigree, given that it is over 220 years old.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:-  \u003c\/em\u003eUK antiques trade\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:-  \u003c\/em\u003eHeight 14.5 cms;  Width 13 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:-         \u003c\/em\u003e 714 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c\/em\u003e:-  With grateful thanks to Jan Veenendaal for sharing his expertise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJan Veenendaal, \u003cem\u003eAsian art and Dutch Taste\u003c\/em\u003e, The Hague Gemeentemuseum, Zwolle:Wanders 2014\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWilliam Marsden, The History of Sumatra, Third Edition, J M’Creery, Black-Horse-Court, London 1811\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEdmund Roberts , pages 28 – 38, Embassy to the Eastern Courts of Cochin-China, Siam and Muscat  in the U.S. sloop-of-war Peacock , David Geisner Comander, during the years 1832-3-4, Harper \u0026amp; Brothers, New York, USA 1837\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnne Lindsey Reber, The Private Trade of the British in West Sumatra, hydra.hull.ac.uk 1977\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSothebys, Lot 11, Treasures, 4\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e July 2018, London\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":35372898517142,"sku":"JC-PARC-06826","price":11000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Sumatran-Silver-Parcel-Gilt-Betel-Container-Sumatra-Indonesia-18th-Century.jpg?v=1599125594"},{"product_id":"japanese-silver-gold-bowl-mitsukoshi-japan-meiji-taisho-early-20th-century","title":"Japanese Silver and Gold Bowl, Mitsukoshi, Japan - Taisho, Early 20th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis large Japanese silver bowl, inlaid with gold, was made by Mitsukoshi.  The design is glorious; the bowl was made to resemble an open multi-petalled chrysanthemum flower.  It was made in Japan during the first quarter of the 20\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century, during the Taisho period, when the Japanese had the best and most skilful metal workers in the world, producing superbly hand-crafted silverware.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJapanese metalworkers had a long tradition of combining a variety of different metals within one piece, usually described as ‘mixed metal’ objects and this bowl has fine gold inlaid in some places, accenting the fine details of the flowers. The workmanship is of very high quality and the silver is of good gauge and is of a purity at least equivalent to sterling but probably higher. The design is timeless and elegant: contemporary today, it must have appeared shockingly \u003cem\u003eavant garde\u003c\/em\u003e when it was created about a hundred years ago!  This bowl would be given pride of place in a room with any style of interior décor, contemporary or traditional.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bowl has twenty-four narrow petal shape segments.  Each petal segment is convex, enhancing the comparison with a flower.  There is a circular boss to the centre of the bottom of the bowl.  To the inside, this boss has been delicately punched around the edge, to a depth of about three rows, which gives the illusion that the boss is the central part of a flower.  The intriguing way in which the panels reflect off each other across the bowl add movement and again create an illusion, blurring the distinction between reality and fantasy. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe exterior of the bowl has been ornamented with simple but very refined line drawings of flowers, which have been chased.  The four flowers featured are the lily, paeony, cherry blossom and narcissus.  Although the last, known in Japan as \u003cem\u003esuisen\u003c\/em\u003e, is not an indigenous species, it is well known and loved there. The bulbs were introduced to Japan about seven hundred years ago and now grow wild in some places.  All the flowers have been depicted in a naturalistic style, complete with their foliage, stems and buds, or, in the case of the cherry blossom, as a small branch filled with flowers.  The stamens to the lily flower and opening lily bud have been inlaid with gold, a technique known as \u003cem\u003ezogon\u003c\/em\u003e, as have the stamens of the blowsy paeony flower.  The centres of each cherry flower have an area of gold inlay as do the open narcissus flowers.  In these, three small circles of silver lie within the field of gold inlay, which has created the illusion of a little face peeping out of each flower.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bowl is supported by three curling chrysanthemum leaf legs whose stems terminate in small balls, forming the feet.  The leaves have been expertly shaded by well judged punch strokes in just the right places, enhancing realism.  Around the edge of the boss and moving upwards from it are three overlapping rows of petals with each row comprising nine petals.  The central fold of each petal has been expertly defined by two small incised lines.  This represents the centre of the underside of a chrysanthemum flower, the part which attaches to the stem.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are very clear and well struck marks in Japanese characters to the boss at the centre of the underside of the base. These state that the metal is silver and that the bowl was manufactured by the firm \u003cem\u003eMitsukoshi.\u003c\/em\u003e   This bowl would have been sold in one of its high-end department stores. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe famous \u003cem\u003eMitsukoshi\u003c\/em\u003e department stores were modelled on American department stores and the first store opened in 1905. They were the first department stores in Japan and provided a new shopping experience for the Japanese consumer.  They were very popular from the start and the chain of stores expanded very quickly.  They sold a wide range of goods from the start including, a short time later, jewellery and silverware.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:- \u003c\/em\u003e North American Antiques Trade\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:-   \u003c\/em\u003eHeight 17  cms;  Max Width 26 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:-          \u003c\/em\u003e1700 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e925-1000.com \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":35377993121942,"sku":"JC-SILV-06834","price":6500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Fine-Japanese-Silver-Flower-Form-Bowl.jpg?v=1599126791"},{"product_id":"antique-silver-hairpins-a-pair-sri-lanka-ceylon-19th-century","title":"Antique Silver Hairpins (a Pair), Sri Lanka (ceylon) – 19th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe people of Sri Lanka have a long tradition of using hair ornaments. Anslem de Silva states “In Sri Lanka, there is a profusion of granite sculptures in the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa and paintings such as the Sigiriya frescoes that depict intricate head-ornaments worn by both men and women”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis pair of large hair pins would have been worn by a woman.  They are fashioned from silver and are believed to have been made in the interior of Sri Lanka, probably near Kandy, in the latter part of the nineteenth century.  A near identical pin can be found within the collection of the British Museum in London.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lower parts of the pins have been well sculpted with sharply defined and elegantly pointed barbed ends.  This shape facilitates the pins’ easy insertion through a mass of thick hair with the barbed ends helping to hold the pins securely in place, countering slippage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTravelling up from the barbs; the shafts and the decorative hexagonal grips which have been placed towards the upper part, widen gradually outwards.  The decorative grips serve both an ornamental and a practical function; of hexagonal shape, they are each ornamented with six panels of pierced scrolling floral and foliate decoration contained within beaded edging.  The shape and the textured surface both ensure that the pins can be gripped easily between the fingers during insertion and extraction, particularly important given Sri Lanka’s prevailing heat.  The top ends of the pins have been covered with engraved hexagonal silver caps.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e        UK art market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSize:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e                          Width 15.5cms; Height 1.4 cms\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e             \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBritish Museum, London, Museum Collection number As1898,0703.586-591\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Sunday Times, ‘When our ancestors turned heads’  quoting Anslem de Silva’s ‘Marine turtle-shell head ornaments of Sri Lanka’, Sri Lanka, 7th June 2015.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":35690134372502,"sku":"JC-HAIR-06946","price":1800.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Silver-Hairpins-a-Pair-Sri-Lanka-ceylon-19th-Century.jpg?v=1597017467"},{"product_id":"antique-sri-lankan-dowry-basket-vel-pettiya-silver-mounts-figural-elephant-kandy-sri-lanka-ceylon-late-18th-early-19th-c","title":"Antique Sri Lankan Dowry Basket, Silver Mounts, Figural Elephant – Late 18th C.","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis exceptionally fine antique Sri Lankan octagonal basket (vel- pettiya) has been woven using three colours of rattan cane and embellished with finely engraved silver fittings. The basket would have been a very high status object, intended as a dowry casket for a high caste Kandyan Sinhalese or goyigama woman. ‘Dowry, usually in the form of jewels, land and cash, became important only in prestigious or hypogamous marriages’ (i.e. where the woman was of a lower caste than the man) and would remain the property of the woman. Dowry was not usual in lower caste marriages. As a receptacle for jewels, the unique form of these baskets pays homage to Sri Lankan gemstone mining and the traditional use of baskets within this industry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSri Lanka is, and always has been, one of the world’s most important sources of precious gems and its use of gemstones dates back at least 2,000 years. Its gems were famed in antiquity and known to the ancient Greeks and Romans; the ancient Sanskrit name for the island translating as ‘Island of Jewels’. In 1293, the famous Italian explorer, Marco Polo, visited the island and commented on the abundance of its gemstones, including rubies, sapphires, topaz, amethysts, and garnets.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is probable that the technique of finely weaving cane baskets was initially developed for food storage but they were also used while panning for gemstones in Sri Lanka and baskets are still commonly used for this purpose today. The miners fill the baskets with a shovel full of gravel deposits, illam\u003cem\u003e,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand the contents are then carefully washed to remove all soil and debris so that any gemstones mixed in with the gravel can be revealed. In effect, the basket act as a sieve and the weave has to be very fine so that only the silt and detritus washes out and no gemstones escape during the washing process.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis dowry basket sits upon an octagonal hardwood stepped pedestal base and there is a smaller stepped octagonal hardwood insert to the centre of the lid. These inserts have been firmly attached to the cane basket by stitches of cane which run through the small drilled holes and channelled grooves in the wood to hold the cane firmly in position. The wood adds tensile strength and rigidity to the structure with the wood to the base supporting the weight of the contents and the wood to the lid providing support for the figural elephant finial. Further, particularly in the case of the base, the wood minimises wear and damage to the more fragile split cane basketwork.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe cane has been skilfully woven using a combination of split and full cane. The exterior face is split cane and three different colours of cane have been used to form the decorative repeating geometric bands of ornamentation. In effect, the split cane forms a fine mesh face. It has been woven over and binds together the thicker, more rigid full cane core at the heart of the basket’s construction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe security of the precious contents was paramount and this basket has been embellished with magnificent silver mountings including the hinge, lock plate and latch closures. To the top of the box is a charming figural silver elephant, with finely engraved detailing, crinkly ears and plain silver tusks. The elephant stands upon an octagonal silver plinth with a repeating foliate border.\u003cbr\u003eTo the front of the basket is a large silver hinge plate with spreading triple leaf, or possibly feather, design, similar in style to the hinge plates at the back. This has been hand cut, pierced and finely engraved. It secures the hinge below which holds an engraved silver hasp or drop down flap. To the front of the base of the basket is a square shaped silver lock plate with a keyhole and narrow engraved foliate border, surrounded by a deep convex engraved foliate border to the top and sides, almost resembling a cushion. When the hasp is in place, it works with the lock and it is likely that a bar passes through the upturned scroll to the bottom edge of the hasp. Unfortunately, the key is not present but the mechanism is thought to be that of a traditional Sri Lankan bar lock or narissa yatura. All the silver mounts show great quality and craftsmanship. They have been fashioned for a heavy gauge of silver.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo the back of the basket is a large and decorative silver hinge arrangement where the hinge is secured by two large ornamental mounting plates, above and below. The plates take the form of a triple leaf or possibly, feather, motif. These have been hand cut, pierced and finely engraved.\u003cbr\u003eTo each side of the basket is a set of silver hook and eye latch closures. The purpose of these is additional safety; to prevent the contents escaping from the sides during transit and to prevent unwarranted intrusion by others. These closures are held by a pair of small silver plates in the form of flower heads, hand cut to shape and finely engraved. One plate holds the eye and the other holds the ‘S’ shaped hook. An engraved curled silver leaf embellishes the part of the hook nearest the pivot and there is a small ring welded to the side of the hook near the opposite end. These rings suggest that an additional silver chain or textile cord may also have been threaded through the rings as a way of ensuring these latches remained in the upright position.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a rare and exceptionally fine example of an antique Sri Lankan dowry casket (\u003cem\u003evel-\u003c\/em\u003epettiya), with magnificent silver fittings, three colour cane geometric ornamentation and a figural silver elephant adorning the lid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:- \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eUK Art Market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:- \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eHeight - 14 cms, Width - 20.5cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight: -   \u003c\/em\u003e       568 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnanda K Coomaraswarmy, Mediaeval Sinhalese Art, Broad Campden : Essex House Press, 1908\u003cbr\u003eR.W. Hughes, Ruby \u0026amp; Sapphire: A Collector’s Guide, Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand, Bangkok 2014\u003cbr\u003eJack Goody and S J Tambiah, Bridewealth and Dowry, Cambridge University Press 1973\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":35690162454678,"sku":"JC-FIGU-06947","price":4250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Figural-Elephant-Kandy-Sri-Lanka-ceylon-Late-18th-early-19th-C.jpg?v=1597018310"},{"product_id":"antique-indian-silver-pedestal-rose-bowl-lucknow-india-1876-to-1910","title":"Antique Indian Silver Pedestal Rose Bowl, Lucknow, India - 1876 to 1910","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis antique Indian silver pedestal rose bowl was made in Lucknow, India.   It has been ornamented using repousse and chased techniques.  The bowl is supported by a short plain silver stem over a plain silver stepped and spreading foot with a repousse and chased border featuring a hunting scene.   The scene features a landscape with undulating ground, knolls and grassy hummocks, shrubs and trees including a palm tree.  Two deer appear to be fleeing from a lion behind them which is now being attacked by a wild boar.  A hunter with a rifle is approaching the boar and lion with his gun aimed and ready to fire.  To the body of the bowl, a deep and finely cut acanthus border surrounds the base with a scrolling floral and foliate border just below the rim.  Between them, a deep principal border depicts scenes from a tiger hunt but something more subversive, or at best, satirical, appears once you examine the scenes more closely.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe imagery has undoubtedly been inspired by the four month tour of India in 1875-6 by Prince Albert Edward, eldest son of Queen Victoria, the future King Edward VII, whilst Prince of Wales.  He was a fanatical, almost obsessive hunter, who committed absolute carnage whilst on his visit to India, particularly during his two week tiger hunt in the Terai, an area of flatland in Nepal in February 1876.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccompanied by the Prime Minister of Nepal, Maharajah Jung Bahadur, another legendary hunter, the Prince hunted relentlessly.  Mounted on elephants, they bagged pheasants, deer, bears, wild pigs and countless tigers. One day, seven hundred elephants were employed in beating the jungle.  They crossed the river in a single file and a couple of hours later they came across some tigers in a gully, which they encircled with elephants.  One of the tigers, seeking escape, attacked the Prince’s elephant.  Although shaken, he quickly turned around in the howdah and shot the tiger dead.  An artist’s impressions of the scene, applauding the Prince’s quick actions and sharp shooting and entitled ‘The Critical Moment’ was widely distributed. The scene to the bowl with the two elephants and their passengers, undoubtedly references that famous encounter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, when you look at the people in the howdahs on the bowl, they all appear to be in Indian dress, not European.  Turn the bowl around and you come to a scene where a standing man is fighting a tiger.  The man, in his underpants, appears European and it is obvious that the tiger has inflicted some injuries to his leg.  He is the only figure with a beard and bears an uncanny resemblance to King Edward VII and also to his son, the future George V, both of whom sported beards.  The man wields a knife as he battles with the tiger.  Possibly the tiger represents Tipu Sultan, who the British called the Tiger of Mysore, but the tiger could also symbolise India’s struggle against  British colonial power and the King Emperor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTipu was a renowned Moslem Sultan who kept tigers and used the tiger as his emblem.   He was killed by the British at the Battle of Seringapatam on 4\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e May 1799.  Tipu had tried to forge an alliance with other Indian rulers and with the French, to resist the East India Company and prevent it from conquering the South of India.  Some Indians, then and now, view him as a freedom fighter.  It would not be surprising if in Moslem Lucknow, which had its own bloody history with the British during the Indian Rebellion, enduring the long Siege of Lucknow in 1857, that people viewed Tipu as a heroic resistance figure.  The date the bowl was made is unknown, but the style suggests it was made during the last quarter of the nineteenth century or the first few years of the twentieth century.  It is also possible that it could have been made at the time the next Prince of Wales, Edward VIIs son and the future George V, also visited Lucknow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe future King George V and his wife, the future Queen Mary, visited India whilst they were still the Prince and Princess of Wales.  Their tour took place in 1905-06 and the royal couple visited Bangalore, Benares, Jaipur, Udaipur, Kaputhala, Bikanir, Delhi, Lucknow, Indore, Mandalay, Rangoon, Karapur, Madras, Gwalior, Agra, Calcutta and Lahore.  Like his father before him, he also visited Lucknow, which was the second visit by a Prince of Wales and future King.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis royal tour was very well publicised and widely reported in British newspapers at home as well as in the Indian press and internationally.  At the time, the British public’s interest in all aspects of India and Indian life was extremely high.  Their interest had been fuelled by the magnificence, pomp, and sheer exoticism, of the Delhi Durbar of 1903, which had presented such a spectacle just two years earlier. The couple’s progression through India caught the imagination of the British public again and the demand for news and pictures was insatiable.    Many articles and reports of their visit were published in the press and accompanied by photographs.  There is also surviving film footage, which was probably intended as a newsreel for the picture houses.  The first picture house in Britain had opened in 1896, about ten years earlier, with others rapidly following.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA silent black and white film in the archives of the British Film Institute, documents the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to Lucknow in 1905.  It follows the Prince’s itinerary which included visits to the Legislative Council Chambers, his inspection of the March past of the 16th Lancers, visits to the Residency, the Kaiserbagh and the Imambara, where he witnessed the distribution of food to the poor in Victoria Gardens.  There is footage of the Prince enjoying a game of polo and visiting the racecourse for the Lucknow Gymkhana.  The prince rode in some of the horse races himself and was placed first in two races and second in his other two races. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the tour, the Prince also indulged his love of hunting, shooting and fishing, which his Indian hosts accommodated.  There is a photo of him standing next to a tiger he has shot outside Hyderabad.  He and the Princess were photographed at various hunts and shooting parties and amongst the many surviving photos are pictures of the Prince and Princess riding elephants and of the Princess riding a camel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:-  \u003c\/em\u003eUK Antiques Trade\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:-\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eHeight 19 cms;  Width 26 cms \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:-  \u003c\/em\u003e       1160 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStanley Reed, The Royal Tour in India:  A Record of the Tour of T.R.H. The Prince and Princess of Wales in India and Burma, from November 1905 to March 1906, Bennett Coleman \u0026amp; Co, 1906\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBritish Film Institute Archive – Film of the Prince and Princess of Wales visit to Lucknow in 1905 with clips available to view at  \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dVAdRg10DyE\"\u003ehttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dVAdRg10DyE\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3bWLKvrysS4\"\u003ehttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3bWLKvrysS4\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVidya Dehejia, Delight in Design – Indian Silver for the Raj, Mapin Publishing, India 2008\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWynyard R T Wilkinson, Indian Silver 1858-1947, Decorative Silver from the Indian Subcontinent and Burma, Made by Local Craftsmen in Western Forms, W Wilkinson \u0026amp; Indar Pashrical Fine Arts, London 1997\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eH Hazel Hahn, Indian princes, dancing girls and tigers: The Prince of Wales’s tour of India and Ceylon, 1875\/1876\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Graphic, 1st April 1876, p 313, Illustration: ‘The Prince of Wales Hunting in the Terai. One of the Suite at Close Quarters’,\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":35739933507734,"sku":"JC-PEDE-06948","price":3500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Indian-Rose-Bowl-Lucknow-Silver.jpg?v=1599104264"},{"product_id":"antique-sri-lankan-silver-box-sri-lanka-ceylon-c-1900","title":"Antique Sri Lankan Silver Multi-Sided Box, Sri Lanka, Ceylon - Circa 1900","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis very unusual antique Sri Lankan silver box is of complex form with a myriad of angles and sides. It seems to have been inspired by, or derive from, the platonic solids of sacred geometry.  The box consists of seventeen angled panels with narrow plain silver borders between them.  The hinged cover and sides of the box have been ornamented using repousse and chasing whilst the underside of the base, which has fine ornamentation, also has engraving.  The design has been planned with great care and the craftsmanship is of very high quality and skilfully executed.  The box is believed to have been made around 1900.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe surface of the box has been divided into a series of square and triangular panels.  The panels around the side have all been framed by a repeating lotus flower border with a narrow rope border to top and bottom.  Some of the square panels have been bisected to produce two triangular panels where one of the triangles is to the side and one to the cover. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe four, square principal panels feature the same image, a holy man, believed to be the Buddha meditating under the Bodhi tree, which is where he received enlightenment.  The Sri Maha Bhodi tree at Anaradhapura, Sri Lanka, was propagated from a branch of the original Bhodi tree under which Buddha meditated.  It is documented that it was planted in 288 BC which means that today it is over 2,300 years old and if not \u003cem\u003ethe\u003c\/em\u003e oldest, it is one of the world’s oldest trees. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnly the top part of Buddha’s body has been depicted, framed within an archway of branches.  His two hands are grasping the branches to either side.  He is surrounded by scrolling branches or vines with occasional flowers.  The panels are framed by repeating lotus flower borders within narrow rope borders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe triangular panels to the side depict a double headed bird, known as a \u003cem\u003egandaberunda, \u003c\/em\u003esurrounded by scrolling vines.  This image can often be found within the ornamentation to Sri Lankan silverware where it was a favourite motif.  The \u003cem\u003egandaberunda\u003c\/em\u003e features in ancient stone carvings in the important Buddhist temple of Kelaniya (Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara), seven miles from Colombo.  To the top, the panels are surrounded by a narrow rope border only, whilst the other two sides are framed by the repeating lotus flower border contained within narrow rope borders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cover comprises four triangular panels rising to a central peak like a tented roof.  This shape is half of an octahedron.  A decorative finial has been placed at the apex which has been made in the form of an offering bowl containing a fig, the fruit of the Bhodi tree.  The triangular panels to the cover have each been divided into three areas of ornament.  Working upwards from the perimeter of the cover, these are:  a scrolling floral and foliate border surrounded by narrow rope borders, next is a narrow repeating flame border topped by a narrow rope border and finally an elaborate foliate scroll surrounding a central flower.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe surface to the flat underside of the box has been ornamented with the utmost care and shows great artistry.  To the centre, a square panel has been chased and engraved.  This contains a depiction of a fully open lotus flower with a small floral scroll at each corner.  The ground surrounding the central flower has been textured with ring punching.  Surrounding the lotus panel is an elegant and deeply cut repeating flame border which is, in turn, surrounded on each side by a chased and engraved floral scroll on a textured ring punched ground.  These provide a pleasing contrast with each other and with the relief work to the sides and the cover.  The box stands on four neat spherical plain silver feet which have been placed to the corners of the box at the points where the outer borders intersect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:-  \u003c\/em\u003eUK antiques trade\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:-  \u003c\/em\u003eHeight 15 cms;  Width 16 cms \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:-  \u003c\/em\u003e       680 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJan Veenendaal, Furniture from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India During the Dutch Period, Foundation Volkenkundig Museum Nusantara, 1985.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Sri Maha Bhodi tree, Anaradhapura, Sri Lanka\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBuddhist temple Kelaniya (Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara), Sri Lanka\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":35740026536086,"sku":"JC-MULT-06950","price":6000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Complex-Construction-Inspired-By-Sacred-Geometry.jpg?v=1599124986"},{"product_id":"antique-mughal-silver-gilt-betel-pandan-tray-turquoise-cabochons-urdu-inscription-india-c-1750","title":"Antique Mughal Silver Gilt Betel Pandan Tray, Turquoise Stones, India – 1750","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis rare and beautiful antique Mughal silver gilt betel, or pandan, tray is of good size and has two handles. It is a superb example of 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century Indo-Persian silverware which would have been used to hold the various ingredients needed to prepare a betel quid and to provide a surface for preparing the quid.  This is an object of extremely high status which benefits from being inscribed with the name of its illustrious owner.  The tray was likely made in Hyderabad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten in Urdu, the name engraved on the central cartouche to the underside is, ‘Sardar Nawab Ghulam Hussein Khan Sab Bahadur’ and there is a picture of this inscription within the photos.  Nawab was the title given to an Indian governor during the time of the Mogul empire and the title \"Khan Bahadur\" was conferred on Muslim subjects in recognition of public services rendered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGhulam is also known as Nawab sayyid Ghulam Muhammad Ali Khan I Bahadur, the second ruler of the Naqdi dyasty who twice became Nawab of Banganapelle (now known as Banaganapalli in the District of Andhra Pradesh). On his marriage, he was gifted the lands and rule of Chenchelimala.  He ruled from 1783 to 1784 and again from 1789 to 1822.  Banganapelle was a fief of the Mughal empire and later became a princely state of British India. Ghulam’s family were descended from Tahir Ali, younger son of the Grand Vizier to Shah Abbas II of Persia who migrated to India during the reign of Emperor Akhbar. His father and uncle had served as high ranking military officers under the Bijapur Sultans of the Deccan, transferring their allegiance to the Mughals after the Mughal conquest of the Deccan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGhulam Muhammad Ali was very young when his father died in 1783 and he became ruler (Jagirdar) under the guardianship of his Uncle. Within a year, following the invasion of Hyder Ali, the family were forced to flee north to Hyderabad and his reign ended. Ghulam entered service with the Nizam of Hyderabad and was appointed a \u003cem\u003emansab\u003c\/em\u003e of high rank, losing the fingers of his right hand in battle with the Marathas. In 1789, Ghulam and his uncle united to defeat Tipu Sultan at the Battle of Tammadapelle on 21st September 1789.  After this, Ghulam became ruler of Banganapelle for the second time, but he preferred to live with his family in Hyderabad.  He was given additional lands and titles as a marriage gift and also became Jagir of Chenchelimala. He enjoyed a long reign but abdicated in favour of his eldest son in 1822.  He died in Hyderabad on 4\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e June 1825 and was buried at Banganapelle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAspects of the tray’s ornamentation such as the eight-pointed star and the turquoise stones hint at the Ghulam’s Persian lineage, where these are frequently found.  The most unusual feet may allude to his descendant’s arrival in India during the reign of Emperor Akbar.  Akbar was known for his love of elephants and an allegorical painting of the young Emperor riding the elephant Hawa’i in a race, is depicted in a miniature painting in the Akbarnama or Book of Akbar, now in the V \u0026amp; A Museum.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnusually, the sides of the tray are rolled rather than straight, and finish with a narrow flat rim to the edge.  This design maximises the amount of surface available for ornament and allows the repousse ornamentation of the side area to become more visible and flow almost seamlessly as a border to the ornamentation to the flat central area.  The most unusual repousse studding to the oval panels is intended, like the stones to the centre, to catch and reflect the light, creating a subtle sparkle and adding to the spectacle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo the centre of the tray is an eight-pointed star inlaid with foiled glass stones. Around the rim of the tray and to the handles is a single row of oval turquoise stones cut \u003cem\u003een cabochon\u003c\/em\u003e.  The glorious array of naturalistic birds and flowers of wide variety are typical of Mughal ornament.  Here, the plants and flowers are presented in several different ways.  The sheer variety of flowers in the scroll border is notable and include jasmine, poppy, iris and narcissus flowers, amongst the many illustrated.  The tray is supported by four charming figural feet which show a figure of a young boy balancing on an elephant’s neck.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaryam Ekhtiar et al explain - ‘The use of complete flowering plants as a decorative motif appears to have had its genesis in works on paper produced during the reign of Jahangir (r. 1605-27).  In 1620 the emperor requested that his artist, Mansur, paint the many types of flowers he observed in Kashmir.  The three surviving studies by Mansur show such strong affinities with European botanical studies that it is very likely that he and the other Mughal artists who later took up this theme, were using them as a model.  Herbals known to have been presented by European visitors to the Mughal court are usually identified as the source of inspiration.’  The flowering plants portrayed on this tray are in the style of Mansur, naturalistically portrayed they also show movement, as if a light wind was gently blowing.  As a result of mid-17th century contact between the Mughal and Deccan empires, the Mughal flower style was also adopted in the Deccan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Sometime during the reign of Jahangir’s son, Shah Jahan (r. 1627-1658), the plant studies were transformed into decorative motifs and arranged in rows to cover textiles, carpets, luxury objects and architectural spaces.’ (Ekhtiar et al)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Taj Mahal mausoleum in Agra, India, was commissioned by Shah Jahan. Construction of the mausoleum began in 1632, after Shah Jahan’s beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, had died during childbirth whilst giving birth to their fourteenth child.  The principal mausoleum was completed in 1643 with the gardens and ancillary structures completed around 10 years later.  The mausoleum features finely carved bas relief marble panels featuring naturalistically depicted flowering plants.  It also contains decoratively arched niches, similar in shape to the niche outline which has been used on this tray to frame the flowering plant motif. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA gold tray of similar form but with different, and far less ornamentation, was given to the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, in Mysore, during his four month visit to India in 1876 and there is a photograph in ‘Industrial Arts of India’ (Plate 9).  The four-petal flower repeating border shares similarities with the part flowers, alternating with the tops of the oval ‘studded’ panels to the top of the sides on our tray.  The Prince of Wales’ tray was exhibited at the Paris International Exposition of 1878 by Lord Northbrook.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:-   \u003c\/em\u003eUK Antiques Trade\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDimensions:-   \u003c\/em\u003eHeight 6 cms;  Length 44  cms, Width 25 cms \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:-  \u003c\/em\u003e        1330 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeorge Birdwood, The Industrial Arts of India, Volume I, page 151 and Plate 9, Chapman and Hall, London 1880\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaryam D. Ekhtiar, Priscilla P. Soucek, Sheila R. Canby, and Navina Najat Haidar, Masterpieces from the Department of Islamic Art in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Press, 2011\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Taj Mahal, Agra\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eV \u0026amp; A Museum\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":35740058222742,"sku":"JC-GILT-06951","price":16000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Mughal-Silver-Gilt-Betel-Pandan-Tray-Turquoise-Stones-Signature-India-1750.jpg?v=1599123701"},{"product_id":"a-fine-silver-gilt-pair-of-pompeiian-kantharoi-replicas","title":"A Fine Silver Gilt Pair of Pompeiian Kantharoi Replicas","description":"This stunning pair of silver gilt kantharoi (footed vases with twin handles) are replicas of the pair of kantharoi discovered by Wilhelm Zahn during his excavations at Pompeii in 1835. Oomersi Mawji is known to have made several of these replica vessels. Most of Mawji’s Kantharoi are now within museum collections, but these are the only pair known to us. The two kantharos are not identical, the scenes around the bodies are different and complimentary; featuring the same characters. They have been executed using repousse and chased techniques and the height of the relief varies from barely discernible to very high, according to the subject matter. (More information about the scenes and the Pompeiian discovery can be found below.)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMany silversmiths made replicas of these famous kantharoi. Firstly, Italian silversmiths would have made copies to sell to tourists as souvenirs. Italy had been the favourite visiting place of those undertaking their ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe. This was made by young and affluent, predominantly British, aristocrats and had become a rite of passage. With the development of rail travel during the nineteenth century, journeys to Continental Europe became more accessible to the British and more affordable for those lower down the social scale. Consequently, the appeal diminished for the elite and aristocratic ‘Grand Tours’ largely ceased.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLater, silversmiths in London, Paris etc. created fine silver replicas of the kantharoi as delightful decorative objects and conversation pieces. Firms such as Elkington \u0026amp; Co, then produced electro-type plated replicas, which were much cheaper. It is probable that Mawji handled either silver or electro-type replicas and copied them.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAnother object from Pompeii which Mawji replicated, was a statue of Narcissus which was discovered in 1862, almost thirty years later. The statue was found in an unremarkable house which later became known as Casa di Narcisso, the House of the Statue of Narcissus. This was the last statue to be discovered at Pompeii and it has been described as the most beautiful bronze to have ever been discovered there. Mawji made a magnificent silver replica of the bronze statue, but at half the size of the original.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMawji’s interest in Italy may well have been ignited by the building of a new palace for the Maharoa of Kutch in Bhuj, which was Mawji’s home town. This project started in 1865, during the reign of Pragmal II. The building was designed by architect and former British Indian army officer, General Henry St Clair Wilkins, who also supervised the construction. This palace, which became known as the Prag Mahal, was completed in 1879 during the regency of Pragmal’s son, Khengarji III. It was designed in an Italianate style which has variously been described as Italian Gothic, Romanesque and Indo-Saracenic Revival.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAlongside scores of local builders and labourers, many Italian artisans were brought over from Italy to labour on the palace’s construction and ornamentation. The building featured Italian marble, a clock tower, Corinthian columns, chandeliers, classical statues and jali work, depicting European plants and animals. As Mawji is known to have been working in Bhuj during the long building project, it is very likely that he became deeply interested in the palace’s design and construction and likely met some of the Italian craftsmen involved in the project, perhaps even becoming friends with some, particularly after he was appointed Royal Silversmith to the Maharao which probably necessitated his visiting the construction site.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe date of the palace’s completion dovetailed with a collection of Oomersi Mawji’s silver being exhibited In Paris at the International Exposition of 1878. George Birdwood wrote, ‘Lord Northbrook (former Viceroy of India from 1872 – 6) exhibited at Paris (the Paris International Exposition of 1878) some fine Kutch repousse work by Umersi Manji, a goldsmith of Katch, Bhuj’. It is very probable that some pieces of European style would have formed part of this consignment. They would have been popular with spectators and presented Mawji with a unique opportunity to demonstrate his versatility. The underside of the kantharoi bear the marks ‘O.M’ and ‘BHUJ’, which Mawji used between 1860 and 1890.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e‘The Gentleman’s Magazine and Historical Chronicle’ for 1835 carried an announcement of the kantharoi’s discovery by archaeologist, Professor Wilhelm Zahn, who was in charge of excavations at Pompeii:-\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“In a house of the Strada Mercurio …….. he found fourteen silver vessels, a quantity of coin ……… also two silver vases five inches in diameter ornamented with cupids and centaurs, with rustic and Bacchanalian emblems.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e‘The Friend’, quoting the ‘London Literary Gazette’, published the date of their discovery as 23rd March 1835. Subsequently, the house where the kantharoi were discovered became known as the Casa dei Vasi d’Argento or the House of the Silver Vases. The vessels were taken to the Royal Museum of Naples (now the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (National Archaeological Museum of Naples) and placed on public view. They are still housed in this Museum today.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWilhelm Zahn published his discoveries at Pompeii by issuing a series of lithographs. A drawing of the kantharoi appear in one, together with drawings of the scenes which ornament the bodies of the vessels.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA Museum of Naples publication describes and explains the scenes:- \"Pair of Kantharoi with Centaurs - The reliefs on one represent a Centaur, with rod and crater (krater - two handled vase), in the act of crouching on his hind legs, turned toward a small cupid who is attempting to climb on his back. In the background is the sacred enclosure with amphors over the portico. On the other side of the cup is a Centauress with cupid, poised as above: the Centauress holds a \"pedum\" or crook and her nebris (the skin of a fawn as worn by Dionysus and his followers (maenads)) is filled with fruit. The idol of Dyonisos, seated on a garlanded pillar, is turned facing the shrine of the God and so is the tree crowned with a pediment.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe same couple of Centaurs mounted by cupids also decorate the second cup, with the difference that the Centaur holds a twig of pine-tree and a leopard-skin, while Eros plays on a lyre. The Centauress, with her leopard-skin, is seen in the act of pouring liquid from a \"rython\" (rhyton) into a phial. The landscape is symbolic of the Dyonisiac rite: a tree with bells, a pediment with garlands and ribbons crowned by an amphor, are all placed facing a shrine. The style of these reliefs, where perspective is expressed in every form from high-reliefs to light graffiti, is very similar to that of Greek pictorial sculture\".\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eProvenance:-\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDimensions:- Height 14 cms; Width 17 cms diameter\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWeight:- 1530 grammes – combined weight\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eReferences:-\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Gentleman’s Magazine and Historical Chronicle, page 303, 1835,\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Friend, A religious and literary journal edited by Robert Smith, no. 34, Volume X,\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePrinted by Adam Waldie, Philadelphia 1837 Museum of Naples publication www.anobii.com\/books\/Il_museo_nazionale_di_napoli\/016c0bf...\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eVidya Dehejia, Delight in Design – Indian Silver for the Raj, Mapin Publishing, India 2008\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eGeorge Birdwood, The Industrial Arts of India, Volume I, page 151, Chapman and Hall, London 1880\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWynyard R T Wilkinson, Indian Silver 1858-1947, Decorative Silver from the Indian Subcontinent and Burma, Made by Local Craftsmen in Western Forms, W Wilkinson \u0026amp; Indar Pashrical Fine Arts, London 1997\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eGiorgio Busetti, Silver Kantharos from Pompeii, ASCAS online\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston U.S.A. Accession No. 2013.632","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41596924625046,"sku":"JC-SILV-06952","price":30000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/A-Fine-Silver-Gilt-Pair-of-Pompeiian-Kantharoi-Replicas.jpg?v=1648483361"},{"product_id":"antique-silver-chinese-coffee-pot-straits-circa-1900","title":"Antique Silver Chinese Coffee Pot, Straits - Circa 1900","description":"\u003cp\u003eA large Chinese silver coffee pot with repousse decoration depicting scenes relating to the Japanese occupation of Port Arthur following the Russo Japanese war of 1904-05.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBetween 1894 and 1905 the Japanese Empire was involved in a series of conflicts, firstly with Qing dynasty China and then Russia. An expansionist policy over influence in Korea resulted in the first Sino Japanese conflict from 1894-95 resulting in China’s defeat and Japanese ascendancy in the Korean peninsula. Despite receiving major territorial concessions, Japan was pressured by the European powers to surrender these gains for an increased cash indemnity from Chin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Russian empire was effectively the major beneficiary from these changes, expanding its influence and gaining its own concessions from the Chinese in the Liaodong Peninsular which effectively guarded the sea route to Peking. Increased Russian activity in Korea and Manchuria which were viewed by the Japanese as areas under their influence eventually lead to the Russo Japanese war of 1904-05. The conflict began with a surprise attack by the Japanese navy on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur, a base the Japanese had been forced to renounce. The eventual Japanese victory in 1905 marked a curtailment of Russian ambitions in the area and increased prestige and influence for Japan. Port Arthur itself was taken by the Japanese in January 1905 and they administered it as the city of Ryojun until 1945.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis fine coffee pot is particularly interesting as it combines traditional decorative motifs with a representation of contemporary events. There are two scenes depicted on the body of the pot. Firstly, we can see a group of soldiers with an officer standing outside a series of barracks. They are identifiable as Japanese soldiers from the style of uniform and the stylised Japanese flag that flies from a flagpole. The scene is given a modern feeling through the depiction of a lamp post and a series of oil silos in the background, contrasting with a depiction of a traditional Chines shrine and hanging lamp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn officer and a soldier are to be seen walking from the main group and pointing towards a dog. This second scene shows a Chinese settlement with three figures, a woman, a child and a man carrying a traditional pole with baskets. In the background are traditional junks and a steamship which appears to be flying two Royal Navy ensigns.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe inclusion of a British Naval vessel suggests that the location of the Japanese troops is Port Arthur. Its location on the Liaodong Peninsular was strategically important as it guarded one of the points that guarded the entrance to the Bohai Sea and Peking beyond. The other point, the Shangdong Peninsular, housed a British Naval base centred on Port Edward that had been leased from the Chinese Empire in 1898.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hilly landscape which frames these scenes is interspersed with engraved representations of grass. The front and back are decorated with cherry and palm trees which provide a visual link to the naturalistic handle which is rendered as a bamboo decorated with engraved leaves. Similarly, the spout takes this naturalistic form. The bottom of the pot and the top are engraved with foliage with traditional key design as a border on the base and a stylised cornucopia around the top. The lid continues the theme of foliage engraved in groups with the knob having leaves and foliage engraved like a canopy of greenery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe unusual combination of traditional Chinese forms with an image of contemporary relevance suggests the pot was made locally in the Liaodong Peninsular. While illustrating the Japanese occupation of the area there is no implied hostility to the Japanese despite China’s humiliation in the recent conflicts. This would suggest not only a local maker who would be sensitive to displaying any outward hostility but also that it may have been intended for a member of the Japanese forces based in the area. Elements of the design may have been derived from contemporary prints which were widely available and often used by craftsmen as a basis for their work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProvenance: European Art Market\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions:- Height 21.5 cms; Width 23,0 cms\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight:- 904 grammes\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42033574248598,"sku":"JC-06987","price":4250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Antique-Silver-Chinese-Coffee-Pot.jpg?v=1673609745"},{"product_id":"pair-of-chinese-silver-gilt-filigree-goblets-china-mid-18th-century","title":"Pair of Chinese Silver Gilt Filigree Goblets - China, Mid-18th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis stunning and very rare pair of 18th-century silver gilt goblets were fashioned from filigree silver and made functional by the addition of removable silver gilt liners, which they still retain, semi-concealed behind the filigree exterior. They were made in China around the middle of the eighteenth century and would have been destined for the European export market, most probably for France and possibly for a member of the royal household.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the side of each goblet is an ogival cartouche, set within the filigree, containing a depiction of a lily flower with six petals and pronounced stamens. Some other examples of flowers or leaves within a filigree panel can be found in 'Silver Wonders from the East', including a close-up photo showing a drawer front from Catherine the Great's Toilet Mirror.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn France, prior to the revolution, the lily flower was the symbol of French royalty. A heavily stylised lily flower, known as the fleur-de-lis (flower of the lily) was adopted in the 12th century by, either King Louis VI or King Louis VII, when the monarch utilised the fleur-de-lis design on his shield so that his men could readily identify their monarch. The lily flower symbolises perfection, light and life and is also associated with Christianity. The Gospels of Mark and Luke report that Jesus said, \"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these\". In Christian art, a white lily has often been used to symbolise Madonna's purity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKing Louis XIV of France (1638 – 1715) adored filigree, as did his mother, who bequeathed him her own collection. During his reign, he amassed a collection of 167 gold and 693 silver filigree objects, which he displayed in three rooms at Versailles. Louis was mocked for his obsession by the Comte de Guiche, who cheekily referred to the King as the 'Marquis de Filigrane'. The filigree collections of Lous XIV, Catherine the Great of Russia, helped to popularise filigree throughout Europe and many rulers and aristocrats acquired some filigree items around this time. These were very costly objects which reflected their owner's high status. Fine filigree objects were made in China, India and Batavia and brought back to Europe by merchants, such as those of the East India Company, where they were sold for enormous profits. Later, the filigree was also manufactured in Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLouis XIV was succeeded by his great-grandson, Louis XV (1715 - 1774), who probably added to his predecessor's collection. Unfortunately, the Versailles collection did not survive the French Revolution, when objects would have been destroyed and dispersed. Saule recorded that a large proportion of Louis XIV's collection was of Chinese origin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bowls of the goblets are conical. They are supported by knopped stems emanating from domed feet. The solid silver gilt rim to the top has been incised with a meander border. This ancient Chinese design is known as hui-wen and symbolises rebirth. The rest of the cone is constructed of filigree with a strict repeating design which is sometimes known as the 'overlapping coin' pattern. A pair of rosewater sprinklers of similar date and panels of filigree in the same 'overlapping coin' pattern is illustrated on page 27 of 'Silver Wonders from the East'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe filigree of the upper part, which forms the conical bowl, differs in style to the filigree forming the stems and feet, which is a more freestyle tangle of looping and arched threads, curlicues and relaxed spirals within panels delineated by thick flattened wires.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe feet of the goblets are domed, and the panels of filigree take the form of three rows of concentric petals emanating from the centre point and increasing in size as they approach the edge of the foot, which is finished by a thick double-wire border to the edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe large spherical knop to the centre of the stem facilitates grip and this is echoed by a similar but smaller knop at the base of the stem and another at the top of the stem, which is shaped more like a ring. The two straighter sections of the stem were constructed in panels which were joined together, then rolled to form a cylinder and joined by vertical seams.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe spherical knops were constructed of petal-shaped panels, which, once joined, became a bowl-shaped 'flower'. One forms the lower hemisphere of the knop and another, a similar 'flower' is inverted and placed over the first before joining the two halves to form the sphere. Many strikingly similar examples of these spheres can be seen in mid-18th-century silver filigree objects. Often, they became the feet of filigree boxes and baskets. A few of these boxes and a rectangular filigree basket with these feet are illustrated in 'Silver Filigree from the East'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome of the distinguishing features of the mid-18th century Chinese silver filigree can be seen in these goblets:-\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe filigree has been constructed from wires of different gauges, some of which have been twisted, others flattened, with the remainder retaining their original round profile. Also, various panels worked in different filigree styles are usually found within the same object. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProvenance: European Art Market\u003cbr\u003eDimensions:- Height 13.3 cms; Width 6.5 cms \u003cbr\u003eWeight:- 280 grammes \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eReferences:- \u003cbr\u003eB Saule, Cabinet des Filigranes, Versailles (unpublished) \u003cbr\u003eMaria Menshikova et al, Silver Wonders from the East; Filigree of the Tsars, Hermitage Amsterdam, 27 April-17 September 2006. \u003cbr\u003eThe Bible\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42408331706518,"sku":"JC-SILV-07116","price":11750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/products\/Pair-of-Chinese-Silver-Gilt-Filigree-Goblets-China-Mid-18th-Century.jpg?v=1673442626"},{"product_id":"antique-silver-and-parcel-gilt-bezoar-stone-case-indo-portuguese-late-17th-century","title":"Antique silver and parcel gilt bezoar stone case, Indo-Portuguese, late 17th century","description":"\u003cp\u003eA fine silver and parcel gilt bezoar stone case, Indo-Portuguese, late 17th century of oval form with decorative piercing over a gilt base.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe word bezoar is derived from the Persian pād-zahr which literally translates as 'anti-dote'. The secretions that form in the belly of wild goats, and to which the word is applied, became one of the most sort after and rarest of cures. It was believed to have the power of a universal antidote, would work against any poison, and that a drinking glass which contained a bezoar could neutralize any poison poured into it.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAlready used in the near and far east (in China a form of bezoar from Ox was used in medicines) it was introduced to medieval Europe in the 11th century. The Andalusian physician Ibn Zuhr (d.1161) may have been the first in the west to describe the bezoar as a medicinal item and they are often referenced in later medical treatises.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe properties attributed to the stones resulted in a vast demand for them from monarchs and others at the top of society. This resulted in the stones being more prized than gold and consequently they were often housed in containers of great value that became an integral part of the Kunstkammers that grew up in Europe in the late Middle Ages and renaissance.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe exceptionally large bezoar mounted in gold with emerald decoration in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDuring the 16th century the demand resulted in several substitutes being created, the most successful being the Goa Stone or Lapis de Goa. The inventor was the Florentine lay brother Gaspar Antonio, and a Jesuit monopoly was confirmed by the Portuguese on March 6, 1691. They were created by combining organic and inorganic materials including hair, fossil shark teeth, shells, tusks, resin, and crushed gems, then shaping the materials into a ball and covering it with gilt. Like bezoar stones, Goa stones were thought to prevent disease and cure poisoning. They could be administered by shaving off small pieces into a drinkable beverage like water, tea, or wine.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe enduring legend of the bezoar can be seen in its inclusion in the Harry Potter series of books where the bezoar is used as a cure for poison.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis example is beautifully decorated with a very fine piercing of trailing plants, each half being divided into three registers demarcated by a thin band. The top is further decorated with a flower head from which a small gilt knob rises. The very fine design points to a craftsman of skill and is similar to other examples of Indo-Portuguese work from the 17th century usually originating in Goa.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA bezoar case with stand that shows similar decoration in a simplified form in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWidth: 6.2cm Height: 6.5cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeight: 124 grams\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42733326991510,"sku":"JC-07130","price":11900.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/files\/Yossi_Antiques_Shoot_1-105_1.jpg?v=1693486999"},{"product_id":"an-exceptional-bezalel-school-silver-and-hardstone-etrog-box-jerusalem-c-1910","title":"Antique Bezalel School silver and hardstone Etrog box, Jerusalem c.1910.","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn exceptional Bezalel School silver and hardstone Etrog box, Jerusalem c.1910. Of oval form enclosed by filigree straps and bosses set with cabochon carnelians and other stones, the decoration continuing over the base, with raised carnelian finial, on four splayed ball feet with plate lock engraved with a menorah and signed in Hebrew on base with gilt interior.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis magnificent object was created by the earliest Jewish school devoted to art in the then Ottoman Palestine. The Bezalel School was founded in 1906 by Boris Schatz, who had been head of the Royal Academy of Arts in Sofia, and named after the Biblical figure Bezalel who was appointed by Moses to oversee the design and construction of the Tabernacle. Schatz had suggested as early as 1903 to Theodor Herzl that an art school should be founded in Jerusalem, and he envisaged the creation of a Zionist style blending classical Jewish\/Middle Eastern and European styles. In 1905 the seventh Zionist Congress passed a resolution supporting such an establishment.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eInitially the school operated from rented premises, but in 1907 the property was purchased with funds from the Jewish national Fund and some 30 European students were in attendance.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Bezalel School attracted Zionist artists from Europe and developed a distinctive blending of the European Art Nouveau movements, drawing particularly from the German Jugendstil and Austrian Vienna Secessionists, with traditional Persian and Syrian artistry and based on Biblical and Zionist subjects.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Bezalel School produced decorative art objects in a wide range of materials: silver, leather, wood, brass, and fabric. While the artists and designers were European-trained, the craftsmen who executed the works were often members of the Yemenite Jewish community, which had a long tradition of craftsmanship in precious metals. In Yemen, filigree jewellery making was a respected profession among the Jews, with cultural as well as religious applications. Yemenite Jewish silversmiths worked primarily with silver, creating pieces by hand using traditional methods. Yemenite immigrants wearing colourful traditional costumes were also frequent subjects of Bezalel School artists.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Bezalel campus Jerusalem 1913\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe school sold many of its products at the Bezalel pavilion outside the Jaffa Gate which served as a shop and showroom. The school also exhibited wares at various exhibitions around the world. In 1929 the school was forced to close due to financial difficulties but in 1933, following the rise of Hitler, the board of directors asked Josef Budko to reopen the school and act as director. The New Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts opened in 1935 and continues its teaching today.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe etrog is a yellow-coloured fruit which resembles a bumpy lemon. It is also one of the four plants (four species) used during the Festival of Sukkot, the Jewish festival of harvest. It also commemorates the story of the Jews wandering in the desert after they had been freed from slavery in the land of Egypt. It recalls the many miracles they saw during their wandering, the protection of God and the building of booths (sukkot) for shelter during this time. It is also important that the fruit is ‘beautiful’ and therefore many people keep their etrog in a beautiful case.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn line with the Bezalel school’s philosophy, this Ertog box blends the traditional with the modern. More traditional boxes were generally much more standard in form, although often decorated with reference to the fruit or scenes related to the festival of Sukkot. Here the box echoes the shape of the fruit and the inside with its fine hammered and gilt decoration resembles the fruits skin.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe straps are decorated with intricate filigree decoration highlighted with semi-precious stones set within small floral motifs and punctuating the larger more abstract decorations just below the lid. While demonstrating traditional working techniques, the form of this decoration, and the modernity of the box's form, is more in keeping with contemporary European Jugendstil design and the Arts and Crafts movement in Great Britain.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe late 19th century had seen an increased interest in traditional working methods and a reaction against mass production in the decorative arts, this created a revival in craftsmanship while the medium of print meant the dissemination of designs was much more international.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAn Erhard \u0026amp; Sőhne box with similar filigree and inset decoration c. 1910\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA very similar Etrog box by the Bezalel School was sold from an important collection of Judaica at Sotheby's New York in 2018.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWidth: 13cm Height: 13.5cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeight: 276 Grams\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42733396852886,"sku":"JC-ETRO-07131","price":12500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/files\/Yossi_Antiques_Shoot_1-286_1.jpg?v=1693494392"},{"product_id":"antique-cambodian-silver-and-enamel-funerary-urn-of-traditional-form-early-19th-century","title":"Antique Cambodian silver and enamel funerary urn of traditional form early 19th century","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn exceptional late 19th century Cambodian silver and enamel funerary urn of traditional form, the lid being formed of a series of multi-tiered conical forms terminating in a spire resting on a tapered highly decorated bowl which is supported with a central column and four pillars formed of Naga, the whole resting on a wooden base.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCambodian funerary traditions are based upon the tenants of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Buddhism has been present in Cambodia since at least the 5th century, in its earliest form it was a type of Mahāyāna Buddhism. The earliest forms of Buddhism, along with Hindu influences, entered the Kingdom of Funan with Hindu merchants. In later history, a second stream of Buddhism entered Khmer culture during the Angkor Empire when Cambodia absorbed the various Buddhist traditions of the Mon kingdoms of Dvaravati and Haripunchai. From the 11th century the Theravada tradition became increasing present and as the Angkor Empire declined its influence increased promoted by monks from Sri Lanka and increased trade and communication between the two nations. Traditionally when someone dies, their body is typically washed and then wrapped in a white shroud. The body is then placed on a funeral pyre and cremated. The ashes are then collected and placed in an urn. \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe urns were made from a variety of materials, wood, ceramic, bronze, silver and in very rare cases gold. This example is clearly a high-status object and must have been commissioned for someone of wealth and influence. The design of the urns varies from very simple jars to more complex forms as exhibited by this example. There is often a strong influence from the architectural traditions that were developed during the Angkor Empire, and which continue to be employed today.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAn 18th century mural depicting a Cambodian Royal funerary urn\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe urn is in the traditional form of a chedi, the steeple-shaped mausoleums that are to be found in the grounds of a pagoda. The lid has several tiers around a central spire a design which is also derived from the architecture of the chedi and which is also to be found in the regalia of the kingdoms of Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand most especially in the crowns or mokot.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe highly decorated surfaces of this urn display many motifs that originated in the architectural masterpieces of the Khmer Empire where intricate naturalistic forms were employed to great effect. These are further embellished with enamel of blue, green and red. The blue and green emphasise the luxuriant nature of the foliate decoration while the red enamel is employed in such a way as to suggest inset corals. In certain Buddhist sects there is a belief that trees of coral grow in paradise and red is the colour of the Buddha and therefore a suitable embellishment to the urn.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe magnificent Naga that coil from the base with their seven heads supporting the urn derive from the sculptural decoration at Angkor. These mythical semi-divine creatures have a long tradition in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism and a strong traditional history in Cambodia including a legend that the royal dynasty of Funan were descended from a marriage between a human prince (Kaundinya) and a Naga princess (Soma). The Khmer people believe they are in fact descendants of the Nagas, and many believe they exist and will return to bring prosperity. \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eNaga in the Khmer culture represent rain, or a bridge between the mortal realm and the realm of devas (Heaven), and they can transform into half human or fully human. They act as protectors from invisible forces, deities, or other humans with malicious intention. Furthermore, Cambodian Naga possess numerological symbolism in the middle of their heads. Odd-headed Naga symbolize masculinity, infinity, timelessness, and immortality. This is because, numerologically, all odd numbers come from the number one. Seven-headed Naga are said to be representing femininity, physicality, mortality, temporality, and the Earth. Odd headed Nagas are believed to represent immortality and are carved and used throughout Cambodia.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAt the entrance to the great temple of Angkor Wat there is a statue of the mythical Naga, the seven-headed protector of Buddha, and a statue of the guardian lion.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAs well as these specifically Cambodian traditions, Buddhism relates the legend of Mucalinda, the King of the Naga who spread his heads over the Gautama Buddha to protect him from the elements as he meditated under the Bodhi Tree having obtained enlightenment. \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe symbolism of the Naga, as protectors and embodying the bridge between the earthly and divine as well as the specifically Cambodian traditions make them an appropriate and dramatic feature of the urn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eW: 22.5cm H: 53.5cm\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42733418545302,"sku":"JC-07132","price":27000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/files\/Yossi_Antiques_Shoot_1-192_1.jpg?v=1693496500"},{"product_id":"antique-japanese-silver-with-gold-appliques-elongated-octagonal-tobacco-box-18th-century","title":"Antique Japanese silver with gold appliques elongated octagonal tobacco box, 18th century","description":"\u003cp\u003eA fine 18th century Japanese silver with gold appliques elongated octagonal tobacco box for the export market with Dutch import mark, integrated hinge, gilded interior and engraved decoration to base.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFollowing the first direct contact between Japan and Portugal in the late 16th century, other European powers gradually began to gain trade concessions with the Japanese, the Dutch first arriving in 1600. Despite Japan’s continued isolationism throughout the 17th century, the trading links continued to grow with porcelain being the chief commodity in part due to the tumultuous political situation in China during this period which greatly reduced its capacity to trade. A growing appreciation for Japanese metalwork, its sophisticated techniques and quality also developed in this period. The Japanese adapted their craft to the European taste. This beautiful box ably demonstrates the rarefied taste and quality of the work produced in this period.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe lid of the box is decorated with a traditional landscape scene derived from Chinese artistic traditions. A golden pagoda is shown on a rocky outcrop with a mountainous scene in the background. The scene is framed by two trees with the centre showing a stag and a doe with three flying birds above all rendered in gold. The surface is decorated with very fine diaper punch work giving the whole scene a fine texture and tactile feel the whole scene being framed with a plain border.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe sides of the box, at the four cardinal points, are each decorated with a chased panel of trailing plants with leaves and flowers within cartouches, the flowers being highlighted in gold and the background embellished with diaper punch work. \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe base of the box is decorated with a finely engraved eagle with spread wings. This motif bears a striking resemblance to the decoration found on the base of a Sawasa tobacco box illustrated in the exhibition ‘Sawasa – Japanese Export Art in Black and Gold 1650-1800’ held at the Rijksmuseum in 1998 catalogue no. B.11.3. This box is similarly decorated with a landscape incorporating stags and birds. The similarities suggest that despite the differences in materials and techniques used both items were possibly produced in the same workshop.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThese luxurious boxes shaped according to European taste were commissioned by the great trading companies that grew in the 17th century. The most important of these was the Dutch East India Company which was a major trading partner with Shogun Japan and which sought new ways of importing luxury items to the burgeoning Dutch markets from where they were disseminated throughout Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"col col-6\" data-v-c7715230=\"\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"v-input v-input--is-label-active v-input--is-dirty theme--light v-text-field v-text-field--is-booted\" data-v-c7715230=\"\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"v-input__control\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"v-input__slot\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"v-text-field__slot\"\u003eWeight: 208 grams\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"v-text-field__slot\"\u003eW:11.6cm H: 2.3cm\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"v-text-field__details\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"v-messages theme--light\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"v-messages__wrapper\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42738245075094,"sku":"JC-TOBA-07134","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/files\/Yossi_Antiques_Shoot_1-343_1.jpg?v=1693828751"},{"product_id":"antique-chinese-straits-silver-repousse-cylindrical-lidded-box-mid-nineteenth-century","title":"Antique Chinese Straits silver repousse cylindrical lidded box, mid-nineteenth century","description":"\u003cp\u003eA fine mid-nineteenth century Chinese Straits silver repousse cylindrical lidded box with makers mark to base.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis sumptuously decorated box demonstrates the exceptional quality of workmanship that existed within the Peranakan communities. Chinese migration to the Malay Archipelago began as early as the 10th century and increased tremendously during the 15th to 17th centuries following the Ming empires reopening of Chinese-Malay trade relations. During the 19th century the expansion of British colonial rule in the area encouraged the already vibrant trade and helped to cement the pivotal role of Singapore in the area’s economic development.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe communities that developed from the integration of the Chinese migrants with the local population retained much of their cultural heritage and traditions from the mainland. These cultural links are evident in the art produced and traded throughout the area often illustrating historical and quasi legendary events, and this box is a perfect example of this continuation of tradition and heritage.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe box is of a form which is also found in lacquer and jade, the abundance of decoration is typical of luxury items that often convey several messages relating to long standing traditions and beliefs. The lavish floral decoration on the lid incorporates flowering peonies, emblematic of wealth and prosperity and chrysanthemums which embody joy and peace. Entwined within these flowers are items reinforcing these themes, notably the gourd and a fan. Along with these items we find items of martial virtue, a sword, a quiver of arrows and crossed maces along with a traditional ancestor tablet. This is encircled with more lavish vegetal decoration inhabited by birds and beasts. The rim of the lid has a continuous frieze of vine leaves with bunches of grapes which reinforces the themes we see on the lid of wealth and fertility.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe main body of the box continues the theme of lush vegetation which provides the background to the figures portrayed in the act of battle. The figures are identified with banners and represent figures from both historical and legendary China. The main protagonist is Di Qing, a famous warrior of the Song dynasty in the 11th century. Renowned for his martial exploits, he would don a bronze mask and let his hair flow freely during battle as shown here. His legendary pursuits formed the centrepiece of three Qing dynasty novels collectively known as the Romance of Di Qing, these works were developed into traditional Chinese Opera which naturally helped to spread the tales. Various versions of these stories were produced over the years, in the scene shown here along with Din Qing we have a figure identified as Shuang Yang ‘The Rebel Princess’ who is here married to Di Qing. The stories were also reproduced in wood block prints during the 19th century, one famously showing Di Qing and fellow generals in battle. \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAlong with the battling figures we see various actual and legendary animals inhabiting the landscape. The most important being a Dragon symbolising the Sun and a Phoenix the Moon. These represent the masculine and feminine, the Emperor and Empress, good luck, strength and health. There are also deer and cranes which are both auspicious animals. Along with the figures taking part in the battle two figures stand out apart from the main groups. These appear from their attributes and mounts to be two immortals, probably He Xiangu mounted on a deer and Cao Guojiu on a lion.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe large scale, sumptuous decoration and use of precious metal would indicate this was a luxury item intended for display rather than use. The quality of workmanship is exceptional, a suitably beautiful addition to any collection.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA 19th century wood block depiction of the Opera battle scene involving Di Qing and the Northern Song generals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeight: 1350 grams\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eH: 10.5cm W:19.5cm\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42738288328854,"sku":"JC-CYLI-07135","price":11950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/files\/Yossi_Antiques_Shoot_1-41_1.jpg?v=1693833060"},{"product_id":"antique-thai-silver-gilt-and-niello-book-shaped-table-snuff-box-siam-thailand-19th-century","title":"Antique Thai Silver Gilt and Niello Book Shaped Table Snuff Box, Siam (Thailand) 19th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThai Silver Gilt and Niello Book Shaped Table Snuff Box, Siam (Thailand) late 19th Century\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis exquisite silver gilt and niello table snuff box is a very fine and unusual example of this art. The style and sheer quality of the ornamentation suggests it was made in the late 18th or early 19th centuries. The form of the box is most unusual and replicates a leather-bound book with distinctive ribbed spine. Every side of this box, including the underside, has been finely ornamented; the sides and cover with niello and chased gilded silver elements and the underside with chased and gilded silver only. The craftsmanship is excellent and very assured.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis box would have been an object of high status commissioned by either a member of the Thai ruling family or by a high-ranking colonial representative for their own use or as a diplomatic gift. The European form strongly suggests it was intended for a European recipient. There is a discernible Chinese influence in the design, notably the meander borders to the panels, the beautifully rendered butterflies in the dense vegetation to the underside and also the finely punched background of the same panel.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eScholars disagree as to where and when the technique of niello was invented but they are agreed that since ancient times there have been complex trade and cross-cultural interactions between the peoples of the Asian countries with those of the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. It cannot be proven that the niello technique was created in Thailand, but the art was certainly popularised and perfected there.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHistorical evidence from Thailand shows that the first recorded instance of nielloware can be found in ‘The Royal Family Laws’, written between 1448 and 1488. One of these laws, known as ‘The Three Seals Law’, states that “a land holding nobleman in the 10,000-order rank was entitled to govern a city and to hold a black Niello-ware ceremonial pedestal and tray to show his official rank”. Importantly, niello was used to signify the owner’s high rank and important status. The association between niello and high status continued in Thailand until recent times with fine niello objects considered as to be appropriate gifts for Thai and foreign kings, the nobility and visiting foreign dignitaries.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOn the Isthmus of Kra, the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat, also known as Ligor or Lagor, was the capital of the Tambralinga (Tampornling) kingdom and the principal production centre and training centre for niello artists. Niello wares made in Nakhon Si Thammarat were supplied to the courts of Ayutthaya and Bangkok. The Thai words used to refer to nielloware are khruang thom.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe word niello derives from the Italian form of the Latin word ‘nigellum’, meaning black. Sir George Birdwood proposed the following definition for niello to accurately describe the process and to distinguish it from similar arts such as bidri and enamelling.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“Niello is the process and the result of annealing (literally ‘blackening’ or ‘nielloing’) or fixing by fusion on a decoratively incised polished metal (usually silver but occasionally gold) surface, an opaque, black (non-mercurial) amalgam of silver, copper and lead.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe actual process is quite difficult, very laborious, highly unpleasant and dangerous, due to the noxious sulphurous fumes given off by the oven and the high firing temperatures involved in the process. Because of these difficulties, Indian and Burmese silversmiths did not often produce Niello wares, but some Thai silversmiths specialised only in this art.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTo the centre of the cover is the monkey God, Hanuman. Hanuman is worshipped for his physical prowess and daring feats but particularly for his constant unwavering loyalty and selfless devotion to Rama. His stance here indicates that this is Hanuman Virmaruti or, a depiction of Hanuman in his courageous form. He stands erect, as if ready for battle, and is crushing a small demon underfoot. His arms are outstretched, holding onto a length of rope at either side. Hanuman’s tail is looped around his head protectively as little flame like curlicues can be seen to either side of his back and head.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn Hindu mythology, Hanuman, is the commander of the monkey army, and his exploits are narrated in the great Hindu Sanskrit poem, the Ramayana. One of these stories tells of when Hanuman’s tail was set on fire, which is almost certainly what is alluded to here. Another tale tells of when Hanuman flew to the Himalayas and returned with a mountain full of medicinal herbs to restore the health of the wounded in Rama’s army. The arching floral sprigs to either side of him, probably poppies, may reference this. The whole panel has been surrounded by a gilt meander border. The niello panels to the sides are surrounded by the same meander border but contain floral and foliate sprigs.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe chased and engraved gilt panel to the underside is very fine and shows great artistry. This is a symmetrical composition with a finely rendered butterfly to each corner. Surrounding the central lotus flower are lotus, orchids and other flowers. \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAntique Thai gilt niello is well represented in museum collections around the world, particularly in the collections of Nakhon National Museum, Thailand, National Museum of Thailand, Bangkok and the V \u0026amp; A Museum, London\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eW:10cm H:3cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeight: 200g\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42738358780054,"sku":"JC-07136","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/files\/Yossi_Antiques_Shoot_1-569_1.jpg?v=1693836041"},{"product_id":"antique-imposing-silver-model-of-the-kalas-mahal-section-of-the-chepauk-palace-chennai-madras","title":"Antique imposing silver model of the Kalas Mahal section of the Chepauk palace Chennai (Madras)","description":"\u003cp\u003eA fine and imposing silver model of the Kalas Mahal section of the Chepauk palace Chennai (Madras). The model stands on an ebony base containing a drawer, with silver handles and applied silver armorial with inlaid green glass to denote the windows. The model is inscribed above the two main windows ‘CHEPAUK PALACE MADRAS’ and there is a further inscription ‘THE OLD RESIDENCE OF THEIR HIGHNESSES THE LATE NAWABS OF CARNATIC’, the armorial plate is also inscribed ‘H.H. THE PRINCE OF ARCOT G.C.I.E’\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis impressive object, dating from c.1917 is a fine and detailed model of the central pavilion of the Chepauk palace, the historic official residence of the Nawab of Arcot (the Carnatic Sultanate) from 1768 to 1855.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe palace c.1905 showing the central pavilion.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Carnatic Sultanate emerged in the late 17th century as an important dependency state of the declining Mughal Empire gaining effective independence in 1710. The Sultanate controlled a vast area south of the Krishna river and through the 18th century there was increased contact with both the French and the English as they sought to expand their influence on the sub-continent.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe original capital was at Gingee before moving to Arcot in 1710 and finally to Chepauk (Madras) in 1768. Arcot was to become the name most associated with the Sultanate and the rulers are invariably referred to in English as the Nawabs of Arcot. They allied to the British and eventually in 1801 the Sultanate became a Princely State under the British East India Company largely as a result of the growing dependency on the Company’s resources of money and manpower.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn 1855 the last ruler Ghulam Muhammad Ghouse Khan died with no male heir, the claim of his uncle was put aside by the British authorities and the State was annexed by the British under the doctrine of lapse. The uncle, Azim Jah, was created the first Prince of Arcot (Amir-e-Arcot) in 1867 by Queen Victoria and granted a tax-free pension in perpetuity.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFollowing the move of the capital from Arcot to Chepauk, the Nawab Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah decided to construct a new palace. He was closely allied to the British and employed a British engineer, Paul Benfield, to design and construct the new residence. The building is known for its intricate carvings, wide arches, red bricks and lime mortar and is one of the first buildings of the Indo-Saracenic style to have been built.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe palace now comprises two blocks named the Kalas Mahal and Humayun Mahal. The Kalas Mahal was the official residence and is the earliest part of the palace and the area the model represents. The Humayun Mahal, the northern block, was virtually rebuilt between 1868 and 1871 to incorporate a new records office and Revenue Board.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFollowing the death of the last Nawab the palace was auctioned to pay off his debts and was eventually purchased by the Madras government. Serving as a records office and centre of the Revenue Board it also housed the Civil Engineering College, its use continuing throughout the period of British rule. Its scale is truly impressive, being built over an area of 117 acres surrounded by a wall but it has sadly fallen into decay in recent years.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe applied silver armorial, representing the Prince of Arcot, is inscribed ‘H.H. THE PRINCE OF ARCOT G.C.I.E’ and this would indicate Khan Bahadur Sir Ghulam Muhammad Ali Khan (1882-1952), the fifth prince of Arcot who was raised to the rank of Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (G.C.I.E) in 1917. The exceptional craftsmanship exhibited on the model, with the very fine detailing of the architectural elements, suggests the model was perhaps created as a gift to the prince on his elevation to this rank and as a fine reminder of his ancestral home\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eH:40cm W:47.6cm\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42738385682582,"sku":"JC-CHEP-07137","price":15000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/files\/Yossi_Antiques_Shoot_1-214_1.jpg?v=1693838291"},{"product_id":"antique-royal-danish-seven-light-candelabra-by-anton-michelsen-for-christian-x-of-denmark-1920","title":"Antique Royal Danish seven light candelabra by Anton Michelsen for Christian X of Denmark, 1920","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn extremely fine pair of Royal Danish seven light candelabra by Anton Michelsen for Christian X of Denmark (1870-1947). With six branches and central light with engraved royal cypher to base, fully signed and dated 1920.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA. Michelsen was founded in Copenhagen in 1841 by Anton Michelsen, specialising in jewellery and silver it soon established a notable reputation and was soon supplying the Danish Royal family. In 1848 Christian VIII appointed him as royal court and order jeweller (meaning he supplied the badges and collars for the Danish chivalric orders) and in 1855 he was the only Danish goldsmith represented at the Exposition Universelle in Paris.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe firm was particularly known for its collaboration with several accomplished Danish artists such as Arnold Krog, Hans Tegner and especially Thorvald Bindesboll. During the early years of the 20th century the firm was one of the leading exponents of work in the old Nordic style as well as specialising in fine enamel work and producing notable works in Danish Art Nouveau known as Skonvirke (aesthetic work). In 1985 the firm merged with the Royal Porcelain Factory, Holmegaard Glasvaerk and Georg Jensen under the name Royal Copenhagen.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhile of traditional form, the branches echoing designs of the early 18th century as do the candle nozzles and drip pans, the bulbous baroque form of the body and base have a lively decorative flavour and are cast and chased with stylised maritime motifs. A series of dramatic waves crash around the base, this is echoed above where water is depicted flowing down and forming a ring of waves with the royal cypher engraved in the centre.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe central stem rises from this point with the main body modelled in bold curves incorporating a stylised shell motif at four points rising to a further ribbed and chased knob which forms the central light. The wave motif is similar to designs found in Michelsen's jewellery during this period and is a suitable motif for a nation with such a close affinity to the sea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eH:46cm W:34cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeight 6220g\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42738388828310,"sku":"JC-CAND-07138","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0124\/1507\/4394\/files\/Yossi_Antiques_Shoot_2-685_1.jpg?v=1693839559"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/collections\/new-acquisitions.oembed?page=8","provider":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}