Kashmiri papier mache lacquered box with hand painted falconer scene. mid-20th century

Introduction to Kashmiri Papier Mache

Kashmir has produced hand made papier mache objects since at least the 15th century, a craft introduced under Persian influence during the Sultanate period. The work is traditionally divided between the maker of the paper pulp form and the painter who applies detailed decoration before the final lacquer is built up in layers. Boxes like this were made for both local use and export, often decorated with courtly figures, floral borders, or hunting scenes drawn from Indo Persian artistic traditions.

Description of the Box

The box is a simple rectangular form with a lift off lid and a divided black lacquered interior, made to hold jewellery or small personal items. It follows the traditional papier-mache method used in Kashmir, where a hardened paper pulp shell is shaped first and then finished separately by a painter.

The lid carries a falconer figure dressed in courtly attire, complete with turban, sash, and curved sword. Falconry imagery sits within a long Indo-Persian court tradition where the falcon symbolised status, discipline, and refinement. The script style border surrounding the scene echoes Persian calligraphic framing used across manuscripts and miniature painting.

Around the sides, the painted deer and stylised trees form a continuous hunting landscape. That theme ties directly back to Mughal and Persian miniature traditions, where noble figures, animals, and garden settings were visual shorthand for rank and cultivated taste. What you are looking at here is Kashmiri craftsmen adapting that visual language into lacquered domestic objects during the 20th century, when these boxes became popular both locally and with visitors.

Condition

Surface wear to edges and corners. Overall in good condition.

Why You Should Buy

There is something quietly satisfying about opening this box and knowing the decoration was laid down by hand.

General Information

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