1995.79 Scepter

Scepters have been part of a universal vocabulary of court regalia since ancient times in many parts of the world. In the Indian subcontinent, scepters, fly whisks, and standards were essential components of courtly ceremonies. They predominate in paintings and sculptures of courtly scenes, indicating their role in imparting to the nobility and visitors alike the status of the enthroned ruler. Yet few such objects are extant, making this one especially valuable. This scepter consists of a wooden core that is covered with finely hammered silver. The spiral bands of the handle enhance the sense of length, while the finial takes the form of a mythic animal known as a makara, in India long associated with fertility and natural abundance. 

The style of the finial with its bulbous eyes, layered mane, sharply articulated snout, and bared teeth suggests that the scepter originates somewhere in the Deccan—a plateau that falls between the Narmada and Krishna rivers of south India—or perhaps even farther to the south. The scepter was probably made sometime between the late 18th and early 19th centuries during a period when both Hindu and Muslim courts ruled throughout this terrain. While graced with a traditional Indic makara, the presence of this particular motif on the finial does not indicate that this piece of princely regalia was made for any specific court, since the makara and other ancient Indic forms had long been incorporated into many aspects of Indian culture and were embraced by Hindu and Muslim kings alike. 

Mughal: AAT: 300018939

Deccan (plateau): AAT: 7551828

India (nation): TGN: 7000198

chasing (metalworking): AAT: 300054016

silver (metal): AAT: 300011029

wood (plant material): AAT: 300011914

eighteenth century: AAT: 300404512

nineteenth century (dates CE): AAT: 300404513

ceremonial objects: AAT: 300234117

courts (social groups): AAT: 300236519

creatures: AAT: 300379697

Hinduism: AAT: 300073727

hybridity: AAT: 300262022

Islam: AAT: 300073715

makara: AAT: 300263744

Mughal: AAT: 300018939

mythical or legendary beings: AAT: 300375725

prestige: AAT: 300343604

scepters: AAT: 300214161

wealth: AAT: 300055767

1995: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of David T. Owsley through the Alconda-Owsley Foundation, purchased at auction, "Indian and Southeast Asian Art," Sotheby's, New York, March 23, 1995, lot 340, as "An Indian Silver Overlaid Wood Scepter" 

The main source for this provenance is the memorandum from Kim Bush of the Dallas Museum of Art, to Karen Zelanka and Carmen Smith of the Dallas Museum of Art, dated March 24, 1995, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records object file.  

Apply to objects where number equals 1995.79