ANTIQUE 19thC INDIAN SOLID SILVER CONDIMENT SET, OOMERSI MAWJI, BHUJ c.1890
Antique 19th century Indian solid silver condiment set, intricately decorated throughout with fine repoussé work against a finely matted ground. The entire surface is richly adorned with flowing motifs, demonstrating exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail. Particularly striking are the handles, spoons, and feet, each formed in the shape of a cobra. Marked to the base "OM BHUJ".
Reference Number: A00013
Antique 19th century Indian solid silver condiment set, intricately decorated throughout with fine repoussé work against a finely matted ground. The entire surface is richly adorned with flowing motifs, demonstrating exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail. Particularly striking are the handles, spoons, and feet, each formed in the shape of a cobra. Marked to the base "OM BHUJ".
Reference Number: A00013
Antique 19th century Indian solid silver condiment set, intricately decorated throughout with fine repoussé work against a finely matted ground. The entire surface is richly adorned with flowing motifs, demonstrating exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail. Particularly striking are the handles, spoons, and feet, each formed in the shape of a cobra. Marked to the base "OM BHUJ".
Reference Number: A00013
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Oomersi Mawji is undoubtedly the most celebrated Indian silversmith of all times. The inventiveness and the spotless quality of his works had no rivals in Kutch and his pieces are still sought after worldwide.
Oomersi Mawji was born in Gujarat. Son of a cobbler, he started his career specialising in leather engravings. Soon after 1858 he became a silversmith and his fame rose very quickly: in 1860s he was already court silversmith to the Maharaos of Kutch and the Maharajas of Baroda, two of the most important Indian royal courts. "Working the silver with ingenious skill and patience, Oomersi Mawji and his sons raised the quality of decoration on Cutch silver to an art form" (Wynyard R. T. Wilkinson, Indian Silver 1858 - 1947: Silver from the Indian Sub-continent and Burma Made by Local Craftsmen in Western Forms, London, 1999, p. 69). The firm’s very high quality silver pieces, often featuring witty and amusing details, became soon very much appreciated overseas, selling through the two branches of Calcutta and Bombay.
In 1878 Oomersi Mawji and his sons participated to the Exposition Universelle in Paris. Their fame grew worldwide and their artworks became very expensive. In London, the brand was retailed by Liberty & Co. and Proctor & Co. When the father died, around 1890 ca., his sons took over the business, which definitely ceased activity around 1930. Artworks manufactured by Oomersi Mawji are nowadays part of the collections of international museums such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
CONDITION
In Great Condition - Wear expected with age. Please refer to photographs.
SIZE
Height: 11 cm // 4.33 inches
Width: 11.25 cm // 4.43 inches
Depth: 8 cm // 3.15 inches
Weight: 145 grams // 4.66 ozt