Discover a masterpiece from our collection that tells a unique story of India’s rich heritage. Each month, we spotlight an extraordinary artifact—its history, craftsmanship, and cultural significance. Explore this month’s featured treasure and uncover the artistry behind it! Experience the legacy of Indian artistry through this special showcase!
Hidden Gems of Amrapali
Hidden Gems of Amrapali
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Pichkari (Water Gun)
Silver
Rajasthan or Gujarat, 19th-20th century
Celebrated with exuberant color and joyful abandon, Holi is one of India’s most widely recognized festivals. The pichkari, or water gun, was traditionally used to spray colored water on others as a gesture of celebration. This example, finely cast and chased with foliate motifs, suggests use in a royal or noble household. Unlike the bamboo or brass pichkaris of the common folk, such silver versions were both a mark of opulence and a playful symbol of festivity.
Necklace with the Avestan Credo
Gold, diamonds, blue enamel
Hyderabad, late 19th–early 20th century
This remarkable necklace comprises four detachable sections, including the clasp, allowing each segment to be worn individually as a bracelet. Strung with diamond-studded letters over blue enamel, each section spells out one of the three tenets of the Zoroastrian Avestan credo: Humata (Good Thoughts), Hukhta (Good Words), and Huversta (Good Deeds). An off-centre pendant, set with a central diamond surrounded by twelve radiating diamond-set rays, completes the design. Likely made for a member of Hyderabad’s elite Parsi community, this piece exemplifies a sophisticated blend of faith, craftsmanship, and modular design.
Perfume Container
Gold
Rajasthan, 19th-20th century
This elegant container was used to store and dispense perfume. Shaped like a fish, a symbol of fertility and prosperity, this perfume container reflects the refined artistry of Rajasthani metalwork. The flexible, jointed body composed of individually crafted and linked scales allows lifelike movement, making it a captivating object to hold. Perfume was traditionally poured or dabbed from a small opening hidden in the mouth or tail. Functional yet ornamental, such objects were often part of aristocratic vanity sets or exchanged as luxurious gifts.
Perfume Container in the Form of a Processional Elephant
Silver
Rajasthan, 19th-20th century
This exquisitely crafted solid silver object takes the form of a regal elephant in mid-stride, mounted on a wooden base. Its raised trunk holds a bouquet of flowers, symbolizing auspiciousness, while its intricately adorned tusks appear to be set with jewels. Draped in a detailed cloth covering, the elephant bears a howdah or “baggi” on its back, complete with two domed canopies and five cusped arches supported by ornate columns. The cart features finely carved floral motifs at its center, framed by foliate borders and flanked by hanging bells on either side. A rider sits atop the elephant, adding to the sense of motion and ceremony. The object likely served as a decorative perfume container, blending function with opulence in typical royal Indian fashion.
Silver Trumpet (Narsingha or Kahala)
Silver
Himachal Pradesh, 19th-20th century
This detachable, S-shaped silver trumpet known locally as a Narsingha or Kahala was traditionally blown by shepherds and during ceremonial occasions in Himachal Pradesh. The instrument is composed of two interlocking halves joined at the center. Five ascending bevelled bands accentuate its form: the first is plain, while the remaining four are finely decorated with zigzag engravings, line textures along the edges, and circular stamped motifs. A small plate is affixed beneath the broader opening, bearing a repoussé image of a deity possibly intended to sanctify the sound or invoke divine protection.
Waistband with Shaligram Inlays
Silver, Shaligram stones
South India, 19th-20th century
This distinctive waistband is composed of sacred Shaligram stones, each mounted in a silver bezel and linked with decorative floral spacers. Shaligrams, fossilized ammonites found in the Gandaki River, are venerated as natural symbols of Vishnu and are seldom incorporated into jewelry due to their sanctity. The inclusion of these stones transforms the ornament into a wearable object of devotion, possibly intended for ritual use. Blending the sacred and the ornamental, the waistband reflects the deeply personal nature of religious expression in material culture.
Ceremonial Horse Ornament
Silver
Tamil Nadu or Karnataka, 19th-20th century
This intricately crafted silver ornament was likely affixed to a ceremonial horse harness, possibly on the browband or saddle trappings. The focal figure is a makara, a mythical sea creature often used in South Indian temple art to symbolize protection and power. Its body is adorned with fish-like scales, and it appears poised in a dynamic posture beside a tubular fitting, suggesting attachment to leather or cloth straps. Such decorative fittings were used during religious processions, weddings, and festivals, especially in temple towns where animals were richly adorned as offerings to the deity.
Ceremonial Fly Whisk (Chauri)
Silver, fur
Rajasthan, 19th-20th century
This ornate fly whisk, or chauri, features a silver handle inlaid with vibrant enamel work, an art form closely associated with Rajasthan’s princely ateliers. The whisk end is made from white yak hair, traditionally symbolizing purity and royalty. Used in temples and royal courts, such whisks were waved in slow, rhythmic motions as a gesture of reverence, either before deities or monarchs. Today, the chauri continues to hold ceremonial value in Hindu and Sikh rituals.
Gangajali (Ritual Water Vessel)
Silver
South India, 19th-20th century
This elaborately crafted Gangajali is a ritual vessel designed to dispense sanctified water in ceremonial contexts. Fitted with a concealed pump at the back, the vessel releases water from the head of a sculpted figure of Shiva on the lid a symbolic reference to the belief that the sacred river Ganga descended to earth through Shiva’s matted locks (jata), softening and channeling her powerful flow.
The body of the vessel is richly adorned with repousse floral patterns, deity figures, and decorative chains, showcasing the finesse of South Indian silverwork in the late 19th century. The seated figure of Shiva atop the lid reinforces the vessel’s spiritual associations, where water, divinity, and ritual purification converge.
Used in temples and elite households, such vessels were employed to sprinkle holy water during pujas and processions, blending mechanical ingenuity with symbolic expression in devotional practice.
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Spice Box
Gold, Polki, Sapphires
Rajasthan, 19th-20th century
This magnificent six-legged spice box, crafted from gilded silver, is a tribute to the peacock—India’s national bird. Each of the six compartments is richly enameled, depicting peacocks and other birds frolicking amid lush foliage, all bordered by floral frames in iridescent blue, echoing the hues of the bird’s plumage.
Topped with white sapphires, the compartment lids radiate from a central openwork finial set with foil-backed crystals. The finial itself is floral in form: a central blossom encircled by six flowers, each with six petals,a repetition of the number six, considered auspicious in both Hindu and Islamic traditions.
An extraordinary object of its time, only one other known example of such refined workmanship exists, now housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. That version features polki diamonds and sapphires.
Gun powder flask
Silver
Gujarat, 19th-20th century
This intricately crafted silver flask was used to carry gunpowder, suspended from a shoulder chain for ease of access during hunting or battle. Carried by elite hunters or soldiers, this pear-shaped gunpowder flask, known locally as a barutdan, exemplifies the artistry of Gujarati silversmiths. Fashioned from high-grade silver, its surface is richly adorned with repoussé work depicting symbolic motifs such as tigers, elephants, or vegetal scrolls reflecting both martial strength and auspiciousness. The attached chain allowed it to be slung across the shoulder, underscoring its dual function as both a utilitarian tool and a prestige object.
Commemorative Thaali Pendant
Silver
Tamil Nadu, 19th-20th century
This monumental Thaali pendant, worn as a marriage ornament, departs from the usual scale and takes on an anthropomorphic form possibly representing the idealized union of a couple. Traditionally tied around the bride’s neck by the groom during the wedding ceremony, the thaali is a powerful emblem of marriage in South India.
This oversized example was likely commissioned to commemorate a long-lasting marriage, possibly on the occasion of a milestone anniversary. Its exaggerated size is linked to devotional gifting: the larger the donation to a temple or religious institution, the greater the accrual of punya (spiritual merit). The pendant thus becomes both a public statement of enduring partnership and an offering that reflects personal piety, wealth, and community standing.
Waistband (Araipatta)
Silver, gold coins
Calicut, Kerala, 19th-20th century
This finely crafted araipatta, or waistband, consists of tightly woven double interlocking silver wires, creating a flexible yet durable belt structure. At either end are large buckles made from four rectangular panels, each adorned with embedded gold coins and bordered by intricate filigree and inset stones.
Worn by nomadic and trading communities in and around Calicut, a historic port city in Kerala, such ornaments served both as decoration and as a secure way to carry wealth while traveling. In a region renowned for its maritime commerce and multicultural exchanges, this waistband reflects a tradition of wearable wealth that merges practical function with ornamental finesse. The use of coins emphasizes the owner’s mobility and financial autonomy, embodying a tradition where jewelry functioned as a personal reserve of wealth in an uncertain world.