Silver Bowl, Lucknow

Fine, Repoussed Silver Rose Bowl

This footed rose bowl is among the finest examples of colonial Lucknow silver work that we have seen. Of high-grade silver, it has been repoussed and chased with an elaborate and engaging hunting scene, all in varying and high relief.

At one point, a

mahout has fallen from his elephant and is being attacked by a lion. A hunter (shikari) is in combat with a tiger with every detail of his athleticism having been made clear by the silversmith down to the man’s taut calf muscles.

Elsewhere, deers leap high to evade another tiger, interspersed with palm and other trees. The dynamic scene wraps around the bowl, between floral borders that unusually include roses, providing a suggestion as to the bowl’s intended purpose. To that end, the interior includes a gilded, white metal liner, allowing the bowl to safely hold water.

The bowl is engraved or stamped with two identical apparent maker’s marks.

A related but less fine bowl is illustrated in Dehejia (2008, p. 176-77).

Dehejia, V.,

Delight in Design: Indian Silver for the Raj, Mapin, 2008.

UK art market