This month’s featured artefacts are an exceptional and intricate teapot and creamer, skilfully crafted in the form of the Grey Francolin, a bird indigenous to the arid regions of the Indian subcontinent. These pieces exemplify the ingenuity and artistry of Oomersi Mawji, the renowned nineteenth-century Indian silversmith.

The larger francolin, fashioned as a teapot, features a head that hinges open at the beak to serve as a spout. A serpent’s tail, coils around its neck, forms the handle, complete with ivory insulators. The accompanying smaller francolin has a hinged head and raised wings and serves as a milk jug. The final piece in the set, with a hinged back, functions as a sugar bowl.Each feather and scale is individually crafted, highlighting the silversmith’s extraordinary attention to detail.

“Harish Patel notes, “…Here (Oomersi) depicts a life-and-death struggle, in this case, a mother bird, a snake having wrapped itself around her neck, is being strangled. Her two chicks, one, the sugar bowl with closed-wing lid; the other, the milk jug with raised-wing handle, observe their mother’s plight in alarm…Mawji was the master of animals depicted in dramatic struggles: a deer chased by hounds, or elephants, their tusks entangled, engaged in mortal combat.” [1]

Oomersi Mawji was the Court Silversmith to the ruler of Kutch, Maharao Shri Mirza Raja Sawai Khengarji Bahadur. In the 19th century, Kutch, now part of the state of Gujarat in western India—was a major centre of silver production and a significant supplier to both domestic and international markets.

The intricate ornamentation draws inspiration from local Kamaagar art, a tradition of elaborate wall painting prevalent across palaces and public buildings in Kutch. Kutchi silver is renowned for its distinctive style, characterised by dense, scrolling foliate patterns, often interspersed with depictions of animals, birds, and human figures. [2]