Kashmir Enamelled Brass Box

Enamelled brassware was among the items produced by craftsmen in Kashmir to be retailed to colonial British expatriates in India and back in the United Kingdom itself. The box here is very much in that tradition, but the form is highly unusual and unlike any other example we have seen. It is unusually large and architectural in conception, clearly drawing on northern India’s Islamic heritage.

This box is tall, with crenulated corners and a high, domed lid decorated with four short baluster-form spires around a tall central one. It is decorated with dark blue and red enamel work. after having been chased all over with what has become known as the coriander leaf and flower motif, a motif more typically associated with Kashmiri silverwork of the period.

The work and the dimensions of this piece are striking. It is highly decorative and in excellent condition.