The 18th Century Silver Filigree Attar Casket of Tipu Sultan.
Cuttack Orissa.
and another very similar casket previously with London dealer Michael Backman.
Height: Height: 9 centimetres. Length: 12 centimetres. Depth: Depth: 8.50 centimetres.
The BM example acquired from Col. Henry Fraser in 1904.
Found/acquired/misappropriated/stolen: Srirangapatna (Seringapatam) Mysore 1799.
https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/eicah/the-attar-casket-of-tipu-sultan/
Images below are from the British Museum Website -
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1904-1006-1-a
"I would rather live a day as a tiger than a lifetime as a sheep" Tipu Sultan.
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for amore detailed history of the Fraser family connection see
https://www.academia.edu/11725966/The_attar_casket_of_Tipu_Sultan
Inside the casket is a panel forming the top of eight separate compartments, to hold the six silver bottles. Two smaller holes in the
panel hold the silver funnel and ladle The
bottles, ladle and funnel are all made of highly polished silver, whilst the
inserted panel is decorated with the same scrolling foliage seen on the
exterior of the casket, indicating that the interior insert was made at the
same time as the casket.
The Persian inscription was believed by the Frasers to refer to
Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan’s father (c.1722-1782)
There is some doubt about this interpretation - there is an essay on the subject of this mark on a Jewelled pendant which formerly belonged to Tipu Sultan
From the Acquisition Registers of the British Museum, which
record all donations, purchases and bequests which enter the Museum from other
institutions and private individuals, it was donated to the Museum by Henry
Fraser in 1904 and the register records
that on the 6 October 1904, Col Henry Fraser gave an ‘attar khana, taken
at siege of Seringapatam 1799, the native forces being under Tipoo Sultan,
whose father’s name (Hyder ‘Ali) is on the silver funnel’.
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– The Documents -
Document 1:
At the taking of Seringapatam in 1799 my Uncle Mr Fraser was
present and afterwards appointed Prize Agent to the treasures, jewels, etc
there found. This silver coffer was in Tipoo’s own room and with a silken
carpet and coral chaplet was sent by HF to his mother at Mt Capper and were by
her given to her youngest daughter Charlotte Catherine, From whom the box was
given to her son J M Heath who wished his youngest cousin H Fraser to have it
as a family relic. His surviving sister Isabella A Heath now transfers it to HF
as d…
August 11th 1846
Woodfield Cottage, Wells Road, Bath, Oct 18
I believe you are the discoverer of Hyder’s name on the
casket, & of course to an outsider who did not know its history it
increases its value as a genuine historic relic. There was an article in a
recent no. of ‘The World’ on Mr Lowe, there they spoke of two of the few relics
of Tipoo’s time preserved at his house, got by someone who had them at the
seige of Seringapatam, one was a small drinking horn or flask of Rhinocerous
horn found in his private apartments and both highly valued by their
possessors.
With love ever your affect. cousin
Isabella A Heath.
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Another Similar Late? 18th Century Silver Filigree Casket.
Sold by London dealer Michael Backman.
https://www.michaelbackmanltd.com/object/batavian-silver-filigree-perfume-box-set-tray/
Length of tray: 19.4cm, depth of tray: 14.6cm,
Length of box including the feet: 15cm,
Length of box not including feet: 13cm, height of
box: 9.8cm, depth of box: 10.6cm, average height of bottles: 7.8cm.
The form and details of this casket are so similar to the example in the V & A that I would suggest that they came from the same workshop.
The detail suggest to me that they are from an Indian workshop but Michael Backman makes the point that as luxury items they may have been imported from Batavia(Jakarta) or West Sumatra by the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
height: 5cm, length: 9.6cm.
I am very grateful to Michael Backman for allowing me to use his photographs.
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Silver and Silver Gilt Filigree Casket
Karimnagar.
Another piece from Michael Backman
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