August23-published – Phillips Antiques

“Pair of Horse Brackets” has been added to your cart. View cart

Hall of Universal Sermons (Samavasarana)
Maharashtra

Signed by the artist ‘Hemant T., Bombay’

Opaque watercolour on paper

Samavasarana symbolises the Jina’s deliverance of his first teachings after attaining enlightenment during which he is said to be miraculously visible simultaneously in every direction. This particular example provides an unusual presentation of the theme.

The entire enclosure is placed on a vast plain painted in green and covered with tufts of vegetation. The outermost enclosure, said to be made of silver, is filled with numerous vehicles, including European carriages and coaches, carts, sedan chairs, and various kinds of palanquins. Presumably they are conveyances of the dignitaries who have come to hear the sermon. In the second enclosure, made of gold, a wide variety of animals is represented. Even though they are not paired, the mix clearly indicates the tranquil atmosphere of the place. The third enclosure, made of gems, is occupied by divinities, monks, and lay personages. Curiously, each quarter segment includes six figures. All of the women stand, while the men are shown seated. On the octagonal crystal pedestal in the center are four identical Jina images facing in the cardinal directions. The idea is to demonstrate the Jinas simultaneous visibility from all sides.

Framed Size (cms): 94(H) x 94(W)
Framed Size (inches): 37(H) x 37(W)

Add To Enquiry Cart
Devi (Goddess) Chariot Panel
Tamil Nadu

Wood

Maha Devi or the Great Goddess was the female energy of Shiva. The Devis are generally seen as wives of the gods or river goddesses. In the post Vedic era, the generic term Devi assumed a new meaning, designating the great goddess ie Shiva’s cosmic energy (Shakti), the essence of all things. The concept of Devi developed over a long period of time, in which many local fertility and nature goddesses were absorbed into the Shaiva tradition to constitute Devi’s many facets. Bountiful goddesses, such as Parvati and Gauri, and destructive deities, such as Durga and Kali, merged into her complex personality, but despite their different names and functions, each of them is Devi, and she in turn represents their totality.

Chariots of Tamil Nadu, locally called ter, are intricate wooden structures of monumental size. The lower portion of the chariots are completely covered with timber panels carved with a wide range of figural and animal sculptures. These friezes, which constitute the finest wooden sculptures in the region, can be viewed only during the chariot festival; for the remainder of the year the chariots are parked in shelters to protect them from the sun and rain.

Size (cms): 43(H) x 13(W) x 10(D)
Size (inches): 17(H) x 5(W) x 4(D)

Add To Enquiry Cart
Calisaya Javanica
by W H Fitch from John Eliot Howard’s
‘The Quinology of the East Indian Plantations’

original hand coloured lithograph

The tree bark of the Cinchona tree contains quinine, an alkaloid used to treat malaria. Malaria was a major health concern for the colonial administration in India and the first cinchona plantation was established in 1860 in the Nilgiri Hills due to its suitable climate and soil. Over the next few years, several other plantations were established in the region, including at Coonoor, Kotagiri, and Ooty. By the early 20th century, the Indian cinchona plantations had become one of the largest producers of quinine in the world, supplying not only India but also other parts of the British Empire.

‘The Quinology of the East Indian Plantations’ by John Eliot Howard (1807-1883) is a continuation of Benjamin Moseley’s earlier book on the same subject, and provides an updated account of the cultivation and use of quinine in the East Indian plantations during the 19th century and its introduction into India. Howard’s book includes detailed descriptions of the different species of cinchona trees, as well as the various methods used to extract and prepare quinine. He also discusses the economic and political implications of the quinine trade, which had become a major industry in the region by the mid-19th century. Howard received the thanks of Her Majesty’s Government in 1873 for The Quinology of the East Indian Plantations.

Framed Size (cms): 65(H) x 54(W)
Framed Size (inches): 25.5(H) x 21.5(W)

Print Size (cms): 45.75(H) x 34.25(W)
Print Size (inches): 18(H) x 13.5(W)

Add To Enquiry Cart
Cinchona Calisaya
by W H Fitch from John Eliot Howard’s
‘The Quinology of the East Indian Plantations’

original hand coloured lithograph

The tree bark of the Cinchona tree contains quinine, an alkaloid used to treat malaria. Malaria was a major health concern for the colonial administration in India and the first cinchona plantation was established in 1860 in the Nilgiri Hills due to its suitable climate and soil. Over the next few years, several other plantations were established in the region, including at Coonoor, Kotagiri, and Ooty. By the early 20th century, the Indian cinchona plantations had become one of the largest producers of quinine in the world, supplying not only India but also other parts of the British Empire.

‘The Quinology of the East Indian Plantations’ by John Eliot Howard (1807-1883) is a continuation of Benjamin Moseley’s earlier book on the same subject, and provides an updated account of the cultivation and use of quinine in the East Indian plantations during the 19th century and its introduction into India. Howard’s book includes detailed descriptions of the different species of cinchona trees, as well as the various methods used to extract and prepare quinine. He also discusses the economic and political implications of the quinine trade, which had become a major industry in the region by the mid-19th century. Howard received the thanks of Her Majesty’s Government in 1873 for The Quinology of the East Indian Plantations.

Framed Size (cms): 65(H) x 54(W)
Framed Size (inches): 25.5(H) x 21.5(W)

Print Size (cms): 45.75(H) x 34.25(W)
Print Size (inches): 18(H) x 13.5(W)

Add To Enquiry Cart
Pair of Horse Brackets
Andhra Pradesh (South India)

Wood

These horse brackets once formed the two ends of a door lintel. The horse or ashva was a very popular motif in architectural wood carvings in South India. Its prototype, the divine Uchchaihshravas emerged from the churning of the ocean. It was white and endowed with wings. The god Indra appropriated it and, after cutting its wings to ensure that it would remain on earth, donated it to mankind.

The horse played a pivotal role in establishing the supremacy of kings, as demonstrated, for instance by the great horse sacrifice, the Ashvamedha, which might have been established in the course of the Vedic period. Equestrian motifs appear prominently in Indian art, for example in Orissan sculpture of the 12th and 13th centuries, and in that of the late Vijaynagara and Nayak periods (early 16th to early 18th century) in southern India. There is a branch of literature specialising in the training of horses, which contains detailed passages on colouring, proportions, gait, auspicious and inauspicious marks and lists of appropriate names for horses.

Individual Size (cms): 40(H) x 64(W) x 18(D)
Individual Size (inches): 15.5(H) x 25(W) x 7(D)

Add To Enquiry Cart
Peninsular of India
Pub. Rome by Giacomo Giovanni Rossi

Original engraved map

The scarce decorative map of India, Ceylon, the Maldives, and neighbouring regions, created by Cantelli da Vignola and published in Rome by Rossi, offers one of the most detailed depictions of the area from that period. It features an ornate cartouche adorned with an elephant. The map was published in the ‘Mercurio geografico’ collection of maps, published between 1660 and 1730 by the De Rossi typography. The maps in the collection are exquisitely copied and engraved by renowned artisans of the time and also include works of esteemed cartographers such as Michele Antonio Baudrand, Nicolas Sanson and Giovanni Antonio Magini.

Cantelli, a geographer and cartographer from Montorsello near Vignola, began his journey in Bologna, where he pursued humanistic studies. In 1669, he became the secretary to Marquis Obizzo da Ferrara before traveling to Venice and eventually Paris. There, he established connections with prominent French geographers of the time, including Du Val, Nicola Sanson, and Michel Antoine Baudrand. Cantelli collaborated with the renowned De Rossi cartographic workshop, which published most of his maps. With a growing reputation as a skilled cartographer, Cantelli caught the attention of Pope Innocent XI and the Duke of Modena and Reggio Francesco II d’Este, both of whom sought him as their official cartographer. He chose to work for Francesco II and was appointed court geographer in November 1685. Over the following years, he produced numerous maps of European countries and territories. The majority of his maps were featured in the well-known Mercurio Geografico atlas, published in Rome by the De Rossi family.

Size (cms): 55(H) x 44(W)
Size (inches): 21.5(H) x 17.5(W)

Mounted Size (cms): 75(H) x 64(W)
Mounted Size (inches): 29.5(H) x 25(W)

Add To Enquiry Cart
Plan of Negapatam
Original engraved plan by Philippus Baldaeus (1632-1672)

This original engraved plan by Philippus Baldaeus (1632–1672) appears in Naauwkeurige Beschryvinge van Malabar en Choromandel (1672) and was re-issued in A Collection of Voyages & Travels (1704–52). Baldaeus, a Dutch Reformed Church minister, served in the Dutch East Indies and documented South India and Ceylon’s culture, history, and religion. Fluent in Tamil, Portuguese, and Sanskrit, he was among the first Europeans to extensively write about Hinduism, introducing Indian mythology, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata to European audiences.

Negapatam, a prominent Chola port from the 9th–12th century, housed the Chudamani Vihara, a significant Buddhist structure built by the Sri Lankan king with Chola support. The Portuguese later settled here, followed by the Dutch, who made it the capital of Dutch Coromandel (1660–1781). It came under British control in 1781 and served as Tanjore district’s capital under the Madras Presidency (1799–1845).

Dutch India (1605–1825) comprised regions like Dutch Ceylon, Coromandel, Malabar, Bengal, and Suratte. The Dutch East India Company traded textiles, spices, precious stones, indigo, silk, and pepper, with notable mints in Cochin, Negapatam, and Pulicat. However, the Dutch influence waned after the 1741 Battle of Colachel, and their remaining territories were ceded to the British under the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, marking the end of their presence in India.

Image Size (cms): 38(H) x 31(W)

Image Size (inches): 15(H) x 12(W)

Add To Enquiry Cart