068-081_C46793
6/24/08
10:19 AM
Page 80
15 • Curved Card Case7 Calcutta, ca. 1900 Silver H: 4.3 cm x 8 cm x 1 cm Inscription: SMS monogrammed on the shield on the convex side This curved card case with a textured background has a
16 • Calling Card Case with Arabesque Pattern Calcutta, ca. 1900 Silver H: 9.6 cm x 6.6 cm x 0.9 cm Inscription: ‘From a Friend’ A dense arabesque pattern with spiral flourishes is incised
plain border on all four sides, and its longer side carries a removable
in very low relief against this rectangular card case to create a
lid over which the repoussé decoration continues uninterrupted.
smoothly finished decorative surface. Both faces of the case are
The convex side of the case carries a central monogrammed shield
similarly treated, except that one side carries a central shield with the
with the owner’s initials, SMS. The left foreground depicts the
inscription ‘From a Friend.’ On the upper half of the other side, almost
squatting figure of a woman with two baskets, one covered and one
obscured by the plume-like decoration, is a diminutive nymph.
open, while to the right there is a man with a basket; both are attending to their various tasks; they are placed against a village backdrop represented by four thatched roof huts amidst trees. The concave side features a woman carrying a large pot of water along a pathway near a village indicated by two huts situated in a landscape filled with plants and trees.
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Job:06-04550 Title:Delight In Design AC46793 175#SQ Dtp:209 Page:80