Page:The Industrial Arts of India.djvu/67

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handle. It is perfect in design and finish, and is sureiy the choicest jewelled spoon in existence. Another exquisite example of Jaipur enamelling is the little perfume box, or atardan, some- thing like a patch box, with a cone-shaped cover, belonging to Mr. W. Anderson, and formerly exhibited in the South Kensington Museum. All round the box is a representation of Krishna, followed by pretty cows and the fair shepherdesses, wandering through a grove of wide-spreading trees, with birds singing among their branches : and all round the cover of Krishna dancing with the shepherdesses, on a green ground of hills and valleys, dales and fields. It was surmounted with a yellow diamond, in perfect harmony with the colors of the green, white, blue, orange, and scarlet enamels, but the owner has replaced it by a perfectly in- harmonious stone of the purest and most brilliant water. I deeply regret that it has not been possible to obtain illustrations of the Prince of Wales* plate, Mr. Anderson’s box, and Lady Mayo’s cup and saucer and spoon, in time for the publication of this Hand- book. Of all the Prince of Wales’ enamels the daintiest device is a native writing-case, or kalamdan , shaped like an Indian gondola [Plate 36]. The stern is figured like a peacock, the tail of which sweeps under half the length of the boat, irradiating it with blue and green enamels, brighter even than the natural iridescence of a peacock’s tail. The canopy which covers the ink bottle is colored with green, blue, ruby, and coral red enamels. It is the mingled brilliance of its greens, blues, and reds, laid on pure gold, which makes the superlative excellence and beauty of the enamel- ling of Jaipur. Even Paris cannot paint gold with the ruby and coral reds, emerald green, and turquoise and sapphire blues of the enamels of Jaipur, Lahore, Benares, and Lucknow. In Lady Mayo’s spoon the deep green enamel is as lustrous and transparent as the emerald which forms the bowl. Among the arms in the India Museum are some fine examples of old Jaipur enamelling. The handles of the yak’s tails, and of the sandal-wood and ivory horse wisps, and of the peacock’s tails, which, like the yak’s tails,