A delightful and very rare Thewa Partabgarh silver gilt snuff box, the sides and top with gold scenes of a tiger hunt on a green glass base. Opening to a plain gilt interior.
Height 2.5cm
Depth 6cm
Width 8cm
India, Partabgarh, Rajasthan, circa 1850
Thewa work was a technique developed and closely guarded in Partabgarh, Rajasthan. It was invented around 1767 by Nathuni Sonewalla during the reign of Maharawat Samant Singh of Partabgarh. Nathuni was a goldsmith whose descendants now continue in the family business. The Thewa technique was so closely guarded that only the immediate family could learn and work with the technique. Brothers and sisters in law were forbidden to see how these items were made.
During the 19th century the popularity of Thewa work grew with demand from western ladies, this is probably the period where this box comes from.
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Wikipedia note
Thewa is a traditional art of fusing 23K Gold with multicoloured glass. The glass is treated by a special process to have glittering effects, which in turn highlights the intricate gold work. The whole Thewa piece is hand crafted over a period of one month by skilled artisans. Thewa, an art that pulsates with life, caught seemingly in movement, in motifs used on jewellery, which shows the culture, heritage and tales of romance and valour of Rajasthan with nature and happiness depicting the art of the fine craftsmanship. The process of making thewa work is detailed; time consuming and intricate, taking up to a month to complete each piece. It starts with broken pieces of terracotta, finely ground, mixed with chemicals and oil to produce a thick paste. The paste spread on a wooden base has a 23carat gold sheet of 40gauge thickness set onto the mixture and the free hand design etched on it. Black paint spread over the gold sheet that highlights the design so it becomes clearly visible for further detailed work with fine tools. The craftsman removes the excess gold creating a design often based on the Hindu mythology or Mughal court scenes, historical events or with flora and fauna motifs.
