Very Finely Pierced, Double-Walled, Silver Beaker by Oomersi Mawji

This superb beaker is an outstanding example of the heights to which colonial Indian silversmithing reached. Produced by the most celebrated of colonial Indian silversmiths, Oomersi Maji, it is double walled, with the outer wall being pieced with Kutch flower and leaf motifs along with representations of hunting scenes which includes elephants, lions and a man. Each piercing was cut out by hand using small saws and files, and the quality of this work is peerless, as is the chasing of the elephants and other figures.

The underside of the beaker shows an interesting manner of construction, and is stamped with a cameo punch with the initials ‘O.M.’ and then with ‘BHUJ’ (the town in which Oomersi had his workshop). Wilkinson (1999) points out that items with this crisp punch tend to be the earlier items most likely associated with the hand of Oomersi himself, and belong to the period circa 1860-1890.

Oomersi Mawji was the pre-eminent Indian silversmith of his time. Together with his sons, he established a workshop in Kutch around 1860, where the local Muslim rulers who had the title ‘Maharao’ were an important source of patronage. Today, pieces by Oomersi Mawji are keenly sought by collectors and museums worldwide.

Kutch silvermakers such as Oomersi Mawji developed a unique style of motifs with which they decorated most of the silver items they produced. Islamic-inspired scrolling flowers and foliage is the most frequently encountered motif, but small animal, bird and human motifs also were employed. The inspiration for these intricate motifs combined with fine and complex floral and foliage patterns almost certainly derives from the local tradition of intricate wall painting employed in Kutch palaces and public buildings. Known as Kamaagar art, the style evolved among the Kamaagar community of Muslims who lived in Kamaagar Falia in Bhuj (Tyabji, 2006, p. 90). Initially, the community was known for making decorated shields, but by the early to mid 19th century, the Kamagaars had established themselves as wall painters, painting intricate, even fussy, scenes of village life, animals, hunting scenes and the like accompanied by scrolling vegetal and floral borders.

The beaker is in excellent condition.