Samavar

19th Century Origin: Kashmir Material: Copper This is a finely worked example of the traditional Kashmiri Samavar used for preparing and serving tea, particularly kahwa and noon chai. It contains a central chamber for burning charcoal, surrounded by a water reservoir that allows the tea to be heated and kept warm. The vessel has a particularly distinctive fluted body, with deep vertical ribs running continuously from the lower body towards the shoulder. The same radiating treatment continues across the domed lid, creating a strong relationship between the body and its cover. The handle is more elaborately formed than the main body, terminating in a scrolling, zoomorphic form. The samovar belongs to a well-established Kashmiri tradition of copperware in which vessels were beaten, chased, engraved, pierced and sometimes tinned. Surviving museum examples across the world demonstrate that Kashmiri copper samovars of the nineteenth century could vary considerably in form, from densely engraved vessels to ones relying more strongly on repoussé, fluting and pierced bases. Private collection - Traam and Beyond

Not for Sale