Large Indian Silver Water Jug by Oomersi Mawji

This monumental, large and whimsical silver water jug is typical of the witty forms and motifs adopted by Oomersi Mawji who today, has become India’s best known colonial silversmith.

The jug has a large, pear-shaped form, sits on a raised, ring foot, with a collared neck, and a wide mouth with an undulating rim that is fitted with a hinged lid. A prominent handle has been cast with the long body of a cobra wrapped tightly around it. The head of the cobra rises off the top of the handle attracted by the flute of a turbaned snake charmer.

The globular body is chased with hunt scenes and show lions, an elephants, an antelope and a human hunter, all amid dense floral and leafy sprays that are typical of Kutch silverwork.

The inside of the lid and mouth are double-walled.

The underside of the jug 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.

Wilkinson (1999, p. 75) illustrates a related example by Oomersi Mawji, though he terms it a ‘claret jug.’

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.

This example is in excellent condition.