Bonhams 1793 : A repoussé silver-mounted copper Tray probably Poona, India, early 20th Century

of oval form with foliate scroll handles, hammered in high relief with representational scenes divided into sections numbered 1 to 61, the central oblong section in bold, distinctive relief depicting Vishnu with the goddess Lakshmi seated on the five-headed divine serpent Sheshnag in an architectural setting with various gods in attendance, surrounded by ten scenes from the Ramayana within arched niches, with further twenty-four Hindu mythological scenes arranged around the rim
111 cms. length

Sold for £4,375 inc. premium

Footnotes

Poona, located a little over 100 miles away from Bombay, developed its own eclectic style of silverware in the early 20th century. The silver workers seem to have taken the distinctive Swami silver iconography of Madras, using Vishnu avatars and scenes from the Ramayana, and arranged such imagery within the cusped arched niches typical of Burmese silverwork.
See V. Dehejia, Delight in Design: Indian Silver for the Raj; India 2008, pp.213-219.

Category: Islamic and Oriental Art / Islamic and Indian Art

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