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Tinder Tube, Silver, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, Southern India, ca 1850-1860.

REGISTERED ANTIQUITY – NON-EXPORTABLE ITEM.

 

Object Detail

 

This silver tinder tube was likely produced in 19th-century Trichinopoly, Madras. This

tinder tube was designed to light fuses in cannons. The body of the tube features some the avatars of Vishnu from dashavatār. The form of the tube resembles the form of a cannon. This object was likely produced in the second half of the 19th century, when the imperial power was slowly beginning to conquer India.

 

This is a classic example of swāmi silverware that gained popularity in 19th-century.

British companies were directly in charge of producing such silverwares by employing

traditional swāmi jewellery craftsmen in Trichinopoly, Madras Presidency. Silverware from here were traded to England, Australia and the United States. Each avatār of Lord Vishnu and mythic animals are  carved with great craftsmanship. The subjects are set against a chased floral pattern. The lid has a finial on top which further has a suspending chain attached to the middle of the tube.

 

A tinder tube with similar form is preserved at the British Museum, London. Similar

representation of avatār, animals and floral pattern are commonly seen in Trichinopoly silverware. However, silver tinder tube with such detailed carving is relatively rare.

 

Provenance

 

From a Private Collection in Mumbai, India.

 

Condition

 

Good Condition with minor wear.

 

Dimension

 

 

Literature Comparison

 

1. Dehejia, Vidya. Delight in Design: Indian Silver for the Raj. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing, 2008. (Pp-101)

 

2.Object Description for Object Number: 81.1.556, The MET Museum, New York https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/454087

 

3. British Museum, London https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_As-Bk-33

 

4.Accession Number: IS.97-2009, Victoria and Albert Museum, London https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1139395/locket-unknown/

 

5.Dehejia, Vidya. Delight in Design: Indian Silver for the Raj. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing, 2008. (Pp-119) https://archive.org/details/delightindesigni0000dehe/page/118/mode/2up?view=theater

 

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