Pattern Play: Indian Silver in Virginia

[Detail of a silver presentation trophy made in Kashmir, circa 1881. Image via Delight in Design.]

Just about a week remains until Indian Silver for the Raj opens at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on Saturday, July 7. With some of the Anglo-Indian silver posted here earlier, you may have noticed how richly-patterned the objects are, much like India's iconic textiles. As we continue the shimmer and shine countdown, I thought it would be interesting to look at other unmistakably textile-esque pieces. (It's the ornamentation that really reflects an Indian sensibility.) 

Wares crafted in Kashmir during the colonial era are characterized by all-over scrolling leaves, "paisley," and flowers including poppies and coriander. When I saw the fab, late-19th-century trophy, pictured at top, I immediately thought of densely-patterned Victorian shawls as well as a few contemporary fabrics.

[Old design from  V & A curator John Irwin's The Kashmir Shawl published in the early 1970s.]

[Above, John Robshaw's Antelope pillow combines animals and sweeping foliage; 

below, Kumera Brinjal linen/cotton from the designer's 2012 fabric collection.]

The silver wine carafe with stylized serpent handle, below, is profusely decorated with delicate Kashmiri blossoms and is another stunning example of what will be on view in the VMFA's upcoming show.

[Indian, Wine Carafe, 19th century, ca. 1880, silver. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund. Photo: Travis Fullerton © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.]

[Oomersee Mawjee, India, Gujarat, Kutch. Tea Service, ca.1884,silver. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund. Photo: Travis Fullerton 
© Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.]

Kutch was famous for compact florals embossed in high relief and for master silversmith Oomersee Mawjee. Liberty of London chose to sell Kutch silver, so it's not surprising that wares from this region inspired Western-made copies.

[Grish Chunder Dutt, Indian, Water Jug featuring the Descent of the Ganges, 19th century, ca. 1885, silver. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund. Photo: 

Travis Fullerton © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.]

Narrative scenes were more likely to come from Calcutta -- especially depictions of rural life -- and craftsmen here may have been inspired by the work of British photographers. But, I think, the way the landscape has been interpreted on the water jug, above, like a repeating pattern, also suggests Indian textiles.

More Silver for the Raj to come.