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Lacquered Papier-Mâché Box with Polychrome Figural Decoration, Srinagar, Kashmir, Northern India, ca. 1850–1875.

REGISTERED ANTIQUITY – NON-EXPORTABLE ITEM.

 

Object Detail

 

This lacquered Kashmiri box, produced in Srinagar between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, represents a comparatively rare example of figural naqashi decoration within the broader tradition of Kashmiri papier-mâché and lacquer work. While most surviving Kashmiri lacquer objects from this period privilege floral arabesques, chinar leaves, or geometric surface ornament, the present example employs a complex narrative frieze populated by hybrid animal-human musicians, tigers, attendants and a central enthroned figure encircled by a halo-like aureole.

 

The imagery reveals a synthesis of Persianate lacquer aesthetics, vernacular Kashmiri decorative painting and performative folk iconography. The dense black floral ground recalls the visual language of Persian and Qajar lacquer traditions, particularly nineteenth-century papier-mâché qalamdan (pen boxes), where figural narratives were framed within heavily ornamented vegetal surfaces. Similar lacquer traditions flourished in Iran under Qajar patronage, where figural scenes, royal imagery, hunting processions, and narrative tableaux were painted upon varnished papier-mâché surfaces. (1)

 

Kashmiri papier-mâché itself emerged through sustained cultural exchange between Kashmir, Central Asia and Persia. Historical accounts consistently attribute the transmission of the craft to Persian and Central Asian artisans who arrived in Kashmir during the medieval period under the patronage of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin (r. 1420–1470). (2) The craft subsequently evolved into a highly specialised artistic industry centred around Srinagar, combining sakhtasazi (object-making) with naqashi (painted surface decoration). (3)

 

 

Provenance

 

From a Private Collection in Mumbai, India.

 

Condition

 

Good condition with minor wear.

 

Dimension

 

16.5 x 9.5 x 7cm

 

Literature Comparison

 

1.Sadaf Nazir Wani, “Kashmir’s Papier Mache Craft: An Archive of its People and Their History,” Sahapedia. https://www.sahapedia.org/kashmirs-papier-mache-craft-archive-its-people-and-their-history

 

2.Gaatha, “Papiermache Craft Srinagar | Archive & Research on Kashmir Handicrafts.” https://gaatha.org/Craft-of-India/documentation-papiermache-art-kashmir/

 

3.The Cashmere Chronicles, “Intro – Papier Mache.” https://thecashmerechronicles.org/intro-papier-mache

 

4.Baden-Powell, B.H. Handbook of Manufactures and Arts of the Punjab. Lahore: Punjab Printing Company, 1872. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.83443

 

5.“An Overview of the Lacquered Papier-Mâché Artworks of Qajar Period Based on the Study of the Qalam-dans or Pen Boxes in Astan Quds Razavi Museum,” Scientific Journal of Museum Studies, accessed May 2026. https://journal.richt.ir/mbp/article-1-227-en.html&sw=Qajar

 

 

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