A MONUMENTAL WOODEN FOOTSTOOL OVERLAID WITH CHASED SILVER Probably Baroda...
A MONUMENTAL WOODEN FOOTSTOOL OVERLAID WITH CHASED SILVER
Probably Baroda region, Gujarat, India, 19th century
Resting on four lion’s paw–shaped feet, the carved wooden body with a flat, square top coated with hammered silver, finely chased with a central roundel featuring passing beasts, including gazelles, elephants, lions and mythological creatures, encircling a central medallion with an Anglo‑Indian foliate motif and accented by four plant elements in the corners.
19.5cm x 73cm x 73cm
India has a rich tradition of embellishing furniture with sheet silver or gold, unlike the use of gold leaf seen in European gilt furniture. Amin Jaffer notes that footstools adorned in this manner are referenced in ancient Hindu texts such as the Rig Veda, which dates back to the second millennium BCE.
For further reference on the subject see:
Jaffer, A., Furniture from British India and Ceylon, London, 2001
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
A MONUMENTAL WOODEN FOOTSTOOL OVERLAID WITH CHASED SILVER
Probably Baroda region, Gujarat, India, 19th century
Resting on four lion’s paw–shaped feet, the carved wooden body with a flat, square top coated with hammered silver, finely chased with a central roundel featuring passing beasts, including gazelles, elephants, lions and mythological creatures, encircling a central medallion with an Anglo‑Indian foliate motif and accented by four plant elements in the corners.
19.5cm x 73cm x 73cm
India has a rich tradition of embellishing furniture with sheet silver or gold, unlike the use of gold leaf seen in European gilt furniture. Amin Jaffer notes that footstools adorned in this manner are referenced in ancient Hindu texts such as the Rig Veda, which dates back to the second millennium BCE.
For further reference on the subject see:
Jaffer, A., Furniture from British India and Ceylon, London, 2001
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
