1825 Anglo-Indian Silver Box with Painted Miniature under Mica Rajasthan or Awadh (82 g)

$425.00
A fine circular silver box, mounted with an original gouache miniature on paper, protected beneath a hand-cut sheet of mica. The painting portrays a stylized courtly lady — adorned with a flowing red garment, pearl jewelry, and elaborate coiffure — standing amidst five symmetrical long-necked birds, possibly cranes or sacred ibis, painted with red beaks and stylized plumage. The imagery likely alludes to themes of spiritual grace, divine love, or the soul’s journey, recurrent in late Mughal and Rajput miniature traditions. The composition is notable for its bold linearity, flattened pictorial space, and rhythmic symmetry, features associated with provincial Rajput courts adapting classical Mughal modes for localized, often more expressive, aesthetics. The rich green background, bordered in red and ochre, heightens the visual drama and frames the central figure with clarity. The silver mount is decorated with finely pierced and chased work, typical of early 19th-century Anglo-Indian silversmithing, when workshops in Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay produced luxury objects blending indigenous techniques with European forms. The bezel securely retains the original mica cover, a fragile yet essential material used to protect delicate paintings in humid climates. Comparable examples of mica-protected Indian miniatures mounted in export silver appear in early 19th-century British collections and are referenced in works on Company School art and colonial-period decorative arts. Diameter: 2.75" Medium: Gouache on paper under mica, silver mount Weight: 82 grams Condition: Painting with minor expected wear; mica with light surface abrasions and natural aging; silver mount in very good condition with light tarnish appropriate to age. Provenance: Washington, DC collection Check out some of my other sterling Indian silver here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP?ref=search_shop_redirect§ion_id=38398103 Or just browse around the shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP
A fine circular silver box, mounted with an original gouache miniature on paper, protected beneath a hand-cut sheet of mica. The painting portrays a stylized courtly lady — adorned with a flowing red garment, pearl jewelry, and elaborate coiffure — standing amidst five symmetrical long-necked birds, possibly cranes or sacred ibis, painted with red beaks and stylized plumage. The imagery likely alludes to themes of spiritual grace, divine love, or the soul’s journey, recurrent in late Mughal and Rajput miniature traditions. The composition is notable for its bold linearity, flattened pictorial space, and rhythmic symmetry, features associated with provincial Rajput courts adapting classical Mughal modes for localized, often more expressive, aesthetics. The rich green background, bordered in red and ochre, heightens the visual drama and frames the central figure with clarity. The silver mount is decorated with finely pierced and chased work, typical of early 19th-century Anglo-Indian silversmithing, when workshops in Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay produced luxury objects blending indigenous techniques with European forms. The bezel securely retains the original mica cover, a fragile yet essential material used to protect delicate paintings in humid climates. Comparable examples of mica-protected Indian miniatures mounted in export silver appear in early 19th-century British collections and are referenced in works on Company School art and colonial-period decorative arts. Diameter: 2.75" Medium: Gouache on paper under mica, silver mount Weight: 82 grams Condition: Painting with minor expected wear; mica with light surface abrasions and natural aging; silver mount in very good condition with light tarnish appropriate to age. Provenance: Washington, DC collection Check out some of my other sterling Indian silver here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP?ref=search_shop_redirect§ion_id=38398103 Or just browse around the shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP