COLLECTION

Object of the Month

Box, gold foil, glass, silver, late 19th - early 20th century, Nathdwara.

This box is a fine example of the Rajasthani thewa work which originated near Nathdwara. The lid depicts a scene of a royal hunt or shikar, executed in gold tracery with minute details.

An animated scene of a royal hunt or shikar, executed in minute details on gold tracery, is depicted on the lid of this box from Nathdwara in Rajasthan. It is a fine example of the Rajasthani thewa work that originated in Pratapgarh. Thewa work involved fusing glass and an overlaid tracing on gold foil at high temperatures on metal or silver parcel-gilt. Snuff boxes, jewellery, brooches, and salvers executed in the thewa style were very popular in the Western market in the 19th - early 20th century.