{"id":5592415699094,"title":"Antique Indian Silver Oval Box, Oomersi Mawji, Bhuj, Kutch, India – Circa 1880","handle":"antique-indian-silver-oval-box-oomersi-mawji-bhuj-kutch-india-circa-1880","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis antique Indian Silver oval box with hinged lid and push button opening mechanism has been ornamented in the Kutch style and is marked to the underside of the base with ‘O.M BHUJ’, the mark of silversmith Oomersi Mawji, together with some other marks which appear to be in an Indian script. The box dates to around 1880.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe box has been ornamented using repousse and chased techniques, with a finely punched background, in typical Kutch style.  To the sides of the box is a deep scrolling floral and foliate border above a narrow acanthus leaf border, the whole contained between narrow beaded borders bordered top and bottom by plain silver. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lid is of mounded shape with the rising sides separated from the flat oval to the top by a plain silver band, with a corresponding narrow plain silver border to the protruding edge of the lid.  The side of the lid has been ornamented with an acanthus leaf frieze between narrow beaded borders.  The top of the lid depicts an encounter beween a tiger and a gazelle, on a floral and foliate sprig ground, framed by a narrow beaded border. The style of this ornamentation, scrolling foliage intertwined with animals, birds and hunting scenes was the most popular and universally admired type of Indian silver in the late 19th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘The \"Cutch style\" of silver decoration first emerged in the early 19th century and by the end of the century it had developed into a distinctive form. Where the style of decoration on silverware in Cutch originated is uncertain. Some writers point to the 15th century mosque of Ahmedabad as a major source of inspiration. The fusion of both Islamic and Hindu imagery exhibited in the intricately carved stone windows of this structure could have inspired the scrolling decoration characteristic of Cutch silver. Further to this, the Dutch influence has also been noted in the appearance of repoussé border ornamentation on the majority of Cutch silverware. There are also resemblances to the 17th century decoration of Portuguese pottery, and distinctive similarities in the depiction of animal and bird figures with Persian decorations.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOomersi Mawji became the best known and most celebrated Indian silversmith of his generation. His first workshop was in Bhuj, Kutch, which he started around 1860 and, with help from the Maharaja of Kutch, he became the premier Kutch silversmith.  He signed his work in the style of this piece ‘O.M. BHUJ’.   Later he moved to Baroda, where he set up a workshop with his sons, trading as “Oomersee M and Sons, Art Silversmiths, Baroda”.   The firm ceased trading in the 1930s.  During the years it was in business, the firm produced many stunning pieces, a number of which are now displayed in some of the world’s most important museums and private collections.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter he was appointed Royal Silversmith to the Maharaja of Kutch, Mawji amassed a large international clientele and his silver was renowned for its high quality, skill, fine work and exceptional design. Mawji’s workshops were enterprising and he received many fine and important commissions. Helped by his sons and using silver of an extremely high purity (normally 95-98%) he produced many masterpieces. He worked predominantly in the Kutch style but also in the European, ‘Madras swami’ and ‘Calcutta rural village’ styles. Participating in several foreign expositions, he won many prizes for his work and helped to popularise Kutch silver abroad, particularly in Great Britain. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProvenance:-   UK Private Collection\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDimensions:–  Height 4.5cms; Width 10.5cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeight:–           174 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVidya Dehejia, Delight in Design – Indian Silver for the Raj, Mapin Publishing, India 2008\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","published_at":"2020-08-09T23:31:49+01:00","created_at":"2020-08-09T23:31:47+01:00","vendor":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","type":"Oval Box","tags":["Sold Archive"],"price":0,"price_min":0,"price_max":0,"available":false,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":35689454370966,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"JC-OVAL-06934","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"name":"Antique Indian Silver Oval Box, Oomersi Mawji, Bhuj, Kutch, India – Circa 1880","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":0,"weight":0,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/ZT5DL_PRINCIPAL.jpg?v=1597012308","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/IY2MCQ_2.jpg?v=1597012309","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/GSC_3.jpg?v=1597012309","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/MFG_4.jpg?v=1597012309","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BL9_5.jpg?v=1597012309","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/XH_6.jpg?v=1597012310","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/PI0Z_7.jpg?v=1597012310","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/AX6Y_8.jpg?v=1597012310","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/B3IQR_9.jpg?v=1597012310"],"featured_image":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/ZT5DL_PRINCIPAL.jpg?v=1597012308","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":10620909453462,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"width":768,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/ZT5DL_PRINCIPAL.jpg?v=1597012308"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/ZT5DL_PRINCIPAL.jpg?v=1597012308","width":768},{"alt":null,"id":10620909486230,"position":2,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"width":768,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/IY2MCQ_2.jpg?v=1597012309"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/IY2MCQ_2.jpg?v=1597012309","width":768},{"alt":null,"id":10620909518998,"position":3,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"width":768,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/GSC_3.jpg?v=1597012309"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/GSC_3.jpg?v=1597012309","width":768},{"alt":null,"id":10620909551766,"position":4,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"width":768,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/MFG_4.jpg?v=1597012309"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/MFG_4.jpg?v=1597012309","width":768},{"alt":null,"id":10620909584534,"position":5,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"width":768,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BL9_5.jpg?v=1597012309"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BL9_5.jpg?v=1597012309","width":768},{"alt":null,"id":10620909617302,"position":6,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"width":768,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/XH_6.jpg?v=1597012310"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/XH_6.jpg?v=1597012310","width":768},{"alt":null,"id":10620909650070,"position":7,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"width":768,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/PI0Z_7.jpg?v=1597012310"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/PI0Z_7.jpg?v=1597012310","width":768},{"alt":null,"id":10620909682838,"position":8,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"width":768,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/AX6Y_8.jpg?v=1597012310"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/AX6Y_8.jpg?v=1597012310","width":768},{"alt":null,"id":10620909715606,"position":9,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"width":768,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/B3IQR_9.jpg?v=1597012310"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":768,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/B3IQR_9.jpg?v=1597012310","width":768}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cp\u003eThis antique Indian Silver oval box with hinged lid and push button opening mechanism has been ornamented in the Kutch style and is marked to the underside of the base with ‘O.M BHUJ’, the mark of silversmith Oomersi Mawji, together with some other marks which appear to be in an Indian script. The box dates to around 1880.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe box has been ornamented using repousse and chased techniques, with a finely punched background, in typical Kutch style.  To the sides of the box is a deep scrolling floral and foliate border above a narrow acanthus leaf border, the whole contained between narrow beaded borders bordered top and bottom by plain silver. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lid is of mounded shape with the rising sides separated from the flat oval to the top by a plain silver band, with a corresponding narrow plain silver border to the protruding edge of the lid.  The side of the lid has been ornamented with an acanthus leaf frieze between narrow beaded borders.  The top of the lid depicts an encounter beween a tiger and a gazelle, on a floral and foliate sprig ground, framed by a narrow beaded border. The style of this ornamentation, scrolling foliage intertwined with animals, birds and hunting scenes was the most popular and universally admired type of Indian silver in the late 19th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘The \"Cutch style\" of silver decoration first emerged in the early 19th century and by the end of the century it had developed into a distinctive form. Where the style of decoration on silverware in Cutch originated is uncertain. Some writers point to the 15th century mosque of Ahmedabad as a major source of inspiration. The fusion of both Islamic and Hindu imagery exhibited in the intricately carved stone windows of this structure could have inspired the scrolling decoration characteristic of Cutch silver. Further to this, the Dutch influence has also been noted in the appearance of repoussé border ornamentation on the majority of Cutch silverware. There are also resemblances to the 17th century decoration of Portuguese pottery, and distinctive similarities in the depiction of animal and bird figures with Persian decorations.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOomersi Mawji became the best known and most celebrated Indian silversmith of his generation. His first workshop was in Bhuj, Kutch, which he started around 1860 and, with help from the Maharaja of Kutch, he became the premier Kutch silversmith.  He signed his work in the style of this piece ‘O.M. BHUJ’.   Later he moved to Baroda, where he set up a workshop with his sons, trading as “Oomersee M and Sons, Art Silversmiths, Baroda”.   The firm ceased trading in the 1930s.  During the years it was in business, the firm produced many stunning pieces, a number of which are now displayed in some of the world’s most important museums and private collections.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter he was appointed Royal Silversmith to the Maharaja of Kutch, Mawji amassed a large international clientele and his silver was renowned for its high quality, skill, fine work and exceptional design. Mawji’s workshops were enterprising and he received many fine and important commissions. Helped by his sons and using silver of an extremely high purity (normally 95-98%) he produced many masterpieces. He worked predominantly in the Kutch style but also in the European, ‘Madras swami’ and ‘Calcutta rural village’ styles. Participating in several foreign expositions, he won many prizes for his work and helped to popularise Kutch silver abroad, particularly in Great Britain. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProvenance:-   UK Private Collection\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDimensions:–  Height 4.5cms; Width 10.5cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeight:–           174 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReferences:-\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVidya Dehejia, Delight in Design – Indian Silver for the Raj, Mapin Publishing, India 2008\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"}