Indian Silver Tilaka Powder Dish

Inscribed Silver Tilaka Powder Bowl

This high-grade, solid silver stemmed bowl is a container for tilaka powder, the red vermilion powder that observant Hindu women use to mark their foreheads with a bindi as part of the daily puja (prayer) process.

The bowl has an elegant form. It stands on a circular, splayed foot which rises to a tapering stem and then a wide bowl with particularly pleasing, gadrooned sides. The bowl widens to a flared lip. The external lip, underside of the bowl and foot all are chased with fine petal and leaf motifs.

The sides of the bowl are engraved with three separate inscriptions in devanagari script. Most probably a past owner’s name will be among the inscriptions.

The bowl has a superb patina and the waxy feel of high-grade silver. The contours have been softened by age and handling. The style and patina all point to an eighteenth century dating.