'Anjum' Jar in Wood and Metal

Provenance

The Anjum jar belongs to the North Indian mixed-media workshop tradition — combining turned and printed wood bodies with cast metal figures and stone elements to produce ornamental accent objects. The wood body carries a multicolour surface print sealed under lacquer; the cast metal figure caps the lid. The tradition comes from workshops in Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh where multiple craft skills combine in single objects.

The surface ornament on Anjum combines the cypress tree and floral vocabulary of the Persian-Mughal decorative tradition — the same ornamental language that organises the surface of Mughal carpet borders, illuminated manuscript margins, and the painted grounds of court objects. The cast metal figure that tops the jar references the mythology of the garden at its most animated: the figure presiding over the ornamental surface below. Anjum in Arabic names a gathering of stars — the plural of najm, a single star — suggesting the quality of multiple luminous points arranged in a composed field, the way the ornamental vocabulary of the jar arranges its motifs across the tall wooden form.

The waterproof surface suits display use. Not airtight. Each piece is individually handcrafted; minor variations between pieces are expected.

Disclaimer

• These jars combine hand-printed wood, cast metal, and stone elements. Variations in print tone and metal finish are natural features of the process.
• Minor surface imperfections are characteristic of handcrafted work and are not defects.