GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Game pieces need a place for storage. This ivory game counter box is elegantly painted with men and animals, suggesting that it was probably ornamented in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. One side shows a procession of men, a horse, and an elephant. The other side shows a parade of men, a horse, and a camel. One of the shorts ends depicts a king over whose head is a regal umbrella.
Upper-class lifestyles, often modeled on the luxury arts of the Mughal court, were for several centuries quite similar among both the Hindu and Muslim elite. Some of the amusements enjoyed by the ruling class go back to pre-Mughal days, such as games, dicing, and hunting.
The high level of craftsmanship and the lavish ornamentation attest to the wealth, power, and taste of their owners. The use of ivory indicated not only prosperity but also access to elephant herds. The processional figures on the game counter box belong to the aristocratic world of Mughal times.
Adapted from
- Anne Bromberg, "Ornamental Objects," in The Arts of India, South East Asia, and the Himalayas, Anne R. Bromberg (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013), 116.
- Catherine Asher, "Game counter box," in The Arts of India, South East Asia, and the Himalayas, Anne R. Bromberg (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013), 122.
NOTES
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Mughal: AAT: 300018939
Geography
Rajasthan: TGN: 7016788
India (nation): TGN: 7000198
Process/materials
ivory (material): AAT: 300011857
Historical periods
nineteenth century (dates CE): AAT: 300404513
Individuals
Subject terms
games (activities): AAT: 300069657
boxes (containers): AAT: 300045643
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
2001: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of David Owsley via the Alconda-Owsley Foundation, purchased from Arnold H. Lieberman, Buddhist and Hindu Antiquities, New York.
The main source for this provenance is correspondence from Anne Bromberg of the Dallas Museum of Art to David T. Owsley, dated December 6, 2001 (copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Also see the copy of the Deed of Gift in the Collections Records object file.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology~ Read more about Indian board games.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 2001.356.A-B
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General Description
Game pieces need a place for storage. This ivory game counter box is elegantly painted with men and animals, suggesting that it was probably ornamented in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. One side shows a procession of men, a horse, and an elephant. The other side shows a parade of men, a horse, and a camel. One of the shorts ends depicts a king over whose head is a regal umbrella.
Upper-class lifestyles, often modeled on the luxury arts of the Mughal court, were for several centuries quite similar among both the Hindu and Muslim elite. Some of the amusements enjoyed by the ruling class go back to pre-Mughal days, such as games, dicing, and hunting.
The high level of craftsmanship and the lavish ornamentation attest to the wealth, power, and taste of their owners. The use of ivory indicated not only prosperity but also access to elephant herds. The processional figures on the game counter box belong to the aristocratic world of Mughal times.
Adapted from
- Anne Bromberg, "Ornamental Objects," in The Arts of India, South East Asia, and the Himalayas, Anne R. Bromberg (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013), 116.
- Catherine Asher, "Game counter box," in The Arts of India, South East Asia, and the Himalayas, Anne R. Bromberg (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013), 122.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology~ Read more about Indian board games.
Notes
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Mughal: AAT: 300018939
Geography
Rajasthan: TGN: 7016788
India (nation): TGN: 7000198
Process/materials
ivory (material): AAT: 300011857
Historical periods
nineteenth century (dates CE): AAT: 300404513
Individuals
Subject terms
games (activities): AAT: 300069657
boxes (containers): AAT: 300045643
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
2001: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of David Owsley via the Alconda-Owsley Foundation, purchased from Arnold H. Lieberman, Buddhist and Hindu Antiquities, New York.
The main source for this provenance is correspondence from Anne Bromberg of the Dallas Museum of Art to David T. Owsley, dated December 6, 2001 (copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File). Also see the copy of the Deed of Gift in the Collections Records object file.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
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