Object In Focus

Punjab, India NWHSA: MET104 has long been known as a “trivet” in the collection. There… Read more: Tarpai (low table)

Bombay, India Late 19th Century Vibrant colours and spectacular form with beautiful motifs – this… Read more: Bombay Pottery Vase

Usually, a-le came in setsof ten. Their mass was calculated by units of tical, which… Read more: A-le Bronze Weights

In Balasore district of Orissa in India, a newlywed couple are given a pair of… Read more: <strong>Jaukandhei</strong>

A pidha is a low chair with or without armrests and an upright back. The lathe… Read more: <strong>Pidha </strong>

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 20th century, T557.4 Our object in focus is a mata-ni-pachedi from Making a Mark – our new display of… Read more: Mata-ni-Pachedi

This month we look at two miniature paintings currently on display together. Sitar by Ramesh Sharma,… Read more: Two miniature paintings, two artists, three centuries apart.

A palungun is a long chest. This one is 188 cm long and is carved… Read more: A Palungan from Madura, Indonesia

We have re-opened!  To celebrate we would like to take a closer look a few of our… Read more: Tanjore paintings

Our object of month is the Buddha Calling the Earth to Witness. The similarity of… Read more: Buddha Calling the Earth to Witness

A dablo is a form of storage container used by the Kathi community of southern Gujarat. Dabla (plural) come… Read more: Dablo (container), Gujarat, 20th century

This temple hanging is from Gujarat in Northwest India. It has been made using a… Read more: Jain temple hanging, 20th century

In the early 19th century, Indian miniature painters found a lucrative market for their work among… Read more: Company School Paintings

Buddhist Thrones, Burma, Early 20th Century This intricate wood carved Buddhist monk’s throne, dating from […]

Pithora Paintings, Gujarat, Early 21st Century Pithora paintings are traditionally painted on the walls of… Read more: Pithora Paintings

Vishnu and Garuda, early 20th century, Balinese This carved and painted wooden figure of Vishnu… Read more: Vishnu and Garuda

Stereoscopes were popular through the Victorian and Edwardian eras, providing people with entertaining[…]

Samovars originated in Russia to boil and heat water but these large urn-shaped samovars are… Read more: Samovars, Copper and Brass

Later, King Hiranyakashipu had a son, Prahlad, who chose to worship Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu was incensed.… Read more: Lord Sharabha and Narasimha

The South Asia Collection Museum is housed in an architectural gem, a Grade II listed Victorian roller-skating… Read more: Our Historic Building

Mahananda, A Lithograph By Ravi Varma, c1920s Apart from the gods, Ravi Varma also painted… Read more: Mahananda by Ravi Varma

Jain panel, Live and Let Live Late 20th century India This carved and painted Jain… Read more: Jain panel, Live and Let Live

Despite their elaborate appearance, wayang kulit puppets are designed for shadow puppetry. Wayang kulit is… Read more: Javanese Wayang Puppetry

Bandhani textiles Gujarat, India Bandhani is a general term applied to Indian tie-dyed textiles but… Read more: Bandhani textiles

Mortimer Menpes (1855-1938) was a painter and printmaker who found fame in his lifetime for… Read more: Woodcutters Jeypore

This chyrpy, currently on display at The South Asia Collection, has an intricate and detailed design featuring motifs of deer, peacocks and tulips[…]

In this Object of the Month we would like to share an image from the… Read more: Watercolour: Badshahi Mosque by Jack Merriott

Swat is a mountainous district of northern Pakistan. Traditionally, woodworkers were held in great esteem… Read more: Chair: early 20th Century

Lion vahana, mount of Goddess Durga Polychrome wooden sculpture, 20th century, Tamil Nadu, India  We… Read more: Lion vahana, Goddess Durga

Nagaland has a strong warrior tradition and headhunting was a significant part of its culture for many years. Strict rules surrounded the practice of headhunting. For example, heads would […]

A brand new book from the collaborative Vernacular Furniture of N-W India project, Sahaj: Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat, the first book of its kind. Co-authored by our Collection Curator, Ben Cartwright, alongside Mitraja Bais, Jay Thakkar and Samrudha Dixit. The Gujarati term Sahaj can mean either ‘inherent’ or […]

In July this year, The South Asia Collection received a donation of 142 Rabari textiles, originally… Read more: The Blumenthal Collection: Beaded and Embroidered Textiles from Kutch

Here, at The South Asia Collection we are big believers in the need to be… Read more: Re-visiting the Majju and the Vernacular Furniture of Rajasthan

This courtyard scene was painted by the Scottish watercolour artist Nancy Jane Burton, who travelled widely through Kashmir, Pakistan (which would have been northern India in the period Nancy was there, before Independence) and Afghanistan between 1932 and 1936. 1936. This painting is currently on display as part of the new exhibition, Nancy Jane […]

This woman’s dress or jumlo is made from a woven black cotton fabric and is finely embroidered with silk… Read more: Jumlo, from Indus Kohistan, Pakistan, c1950

The Object of the Month for June 2018 is the tinted lithograph, Ancient Temple, Pundruttun, by Mrs H. Clark, which is currently on display at The South Asia Collection. It was printed by J. Needham on behalf of Day & Son as part of a set […]

Kalamkaris originated in Persia (present day Iran) where qalam meant pen and kari  meant craftwork. Originally the design was hand drawn onto the cotton cloth using a bamboo pen. But during the 19th century when demand and exports increased, block printing techniques became […]

This landscape by Burmese artist Maung Htun Hla depicts a sailboat on a Burmese river.… Read more: Watercolours by Maung Htun Hla

Oil lamps have a significant role in the Hindu religion and are found both at… Read more: Oil lamp from Odisha

This majju (chest), currently on display at The South Asia Collection, comes from the south of Rajasthan.… Read more: Majju from Southern Rajasthan