Box with a key

This box from Multan, with silver and gold wire inlay in a complex and intricate pattern, exemplifies the Museum's Koftagiri (Damascene) collection. The art of damascening originated in the ornamentation of weaponry in ancient Damascus and travelled to India via Iran and Afghanistan. The famous Ganga-Jamuna style is used here where both gold and silver ornamentation is employed for dramatic effect. The edge of the lid also has been crafted in a delicate shape. This technique is still practised today in Udaipur, Jaipur, Alwar and Sirohi in Rajasthan, Datia in Madhya Pradesh, Trivandrum and Bidar in the South and in Kashmir.