USD payment onlyLot 10
 
Quick Zoom

Designed as a pear-shaped silver sugar sifter, the lid engraved with an openwork foliate design, to the body engraved with jungle scenes, and a similarly engraved base, stamped 'O.M.' for Oomersi Mawji, c. 1860-90


Oomersi Mawji 'O.M.' and Indian Silver

Among the most well-regarded colonial silversmiths were a small number of successful Indian designers and firms. Some of the most sought after and expensive Indian silver today are those pieces stamped "O.M." - the maker's mark of Oomersi Mawji of Bhuj, a town in the Kutch region of Gujarat, perhaps the greatest Indian silversmith of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Mawji founded Oomersi Mawji & Co. in 1860, and although the firm ceased operation in the 1930s, it, produced many stunning pieces, a number of which are now displayed in many of the most important museums and in important private collections around the world, and remains one of India's most celebrated silversmiths.

"During his lifetime -- from his humble beginnings as a member of the cobbler's caste in Bhuj, in the region of Kutch in Gujarat -- Oomersi Mawji became the most celebrated Indian silversmith during the Raj period, with a large international clientele. He participated in major international exhibitions and became the court silversmith to the Maharaja of Kutch. Today, scholars laud him as perhaps the greatest silversmith of the Nineteenth century."

"Luxury goods from India were first widely introduced at the Indian section of the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 (with its 15,000 objects), as well as numerous other exhibitions in Europe, America and India during the latter half of the Nineteenth Century. The Indian exhibits had an enormous influence, introducing the Indian aesthetic to the world market, and dramatically influenced the silver produced by Tiffany, Gorham, and Whiting in America, who incorporated Indian styles into their work. By 1885, the department store, Liberty & Co., brought forty "living village artisans" from India, including Kutch silversmiths, to London, opening a promotional workshop, selling these popular silverwares at their store in London and through their catalogues. To say there was something of a craze in Europe and America at the end of the Nineteenth Century for things Indian, is not an overstatement. Oomersi Mawji (whose maker's mark was OM), from his workshop in Bhuj, was at the forefront" ("A Rare Collection of Workshop Drawings from the Renowned Indian Silversmith, Oomersi Mawji", Marc J. Matz Antiques & Works of Art website, accessed March 2012).




Other similar works in: this auction  |  entire site



  Lot 10 of 70  

THE GENTLEMAN'S SALE
17-18 APRIL 2012

Estimate
$4,000 - 5,000
Rs 1,96,000 - 2,45,000

Winning Bid
$4,600
Rs 2,25,400
(Inclusive of Buyer's Premium)

USD payment only USD payment only. Why?










 



Need help? Please check our guides on How to Bid. Auction Tips and FAQs.
Email [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Tel: (91 22) 2432 2898/2436 4113 (Mumbai), (212) 627 5006 (New York), 44 (0) 20 7409 7974 (London), (91 11) 24304458 (New Delhi)
Import of certain lots containing material from endangered species may be prohibited. Bidders are requested to check relevant import regulations prior to placing their bid. The export of lot 24 (automobile) from India is prohibited in this auction.