Wine Cup

China

Qing dynasty (1644-1912), Kangxi period (1662-1722), About 1690

See More of the Collection

Surimono print of the folk figure Kintaro refereeing a fight with a rooster and a Tengu, perhaps for the Year of the Rooster.
Ewer with decoration of figures in a landscape
No. 4 Kanagawa, from the series Fifty-Three Stations of Tōkaidō, Ando Hiroshige, ink and color on paper
To one who is already very familiar with Oomersee Mawjee’s style and forms, the most striking characteristic of this service is its monumental size. If the other pieces in this writer’s collection can be called household-sized, then this service can be called palace-sized. (For some idea of scale, note the photo of the coffee pot next to the wine bottle.) Insofar as the silver motifs on each piece go, they are typical of those usually favored by OM: boar, lion, or deer hunts; animals in combat with each other; or attack scenes, such as a lion setting upon a horse and rider. There are, in addition to the tableaux, occasional peacocks or smaller birds set among the foliate surfaces. The handles of the pieces are makara (crocodiles); and the finials, caparisoned elephants. What is somewhat more unusual for OM Bhuj pieces is the spout of the milk jug, which is modeled as the head of a chinkara, or gazelle, its mouth open to allow for the issue of milk.