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Splendours of the Subcontinent

The future Edward VII toured India in 1875-6 when Prince of Wales. A selection of gifts he was presented with is collected together here

POSSIBLY MADRAS AND ORISSA

Perfume holder

c. 1870 - 1875

Gold, silver, wood and rubies | 27.0 x 19.0 x 15.5 cm | RCIN 28692

This perfume holder was presented to the Prince of Wales by Jashwant Singh ii, Maharaja of Jodhpur (1838–95). The Prince first met the Maharaja at the Madras Racecourse on 15 December, and later at Calcutta, where the Maharaja was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India on New Year’s Day 1876 .

The bud-shaped holder opens up when the finial is pressed to reveal five perfume holders held by silver filigree brackets. The openwork floral designs on the outside ‘leaves’ of the bud, the gold bottles and the silver filigree suggest that it was produced in different parts of India and later brought together. The gold scrolling foliage on the outer ‘leaves’, the ruby-inlaid perfume bottles and the fluted base are similar in style to metalwork from Madras, and the interior silver filigree work is similar to that produced in Orissa.

Perfume holder©

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