1683 Antique Bone Cup with Bridal Procession depicted
Price on request
Bone Cup carved cup, Bengal
Shunga Period, 1st century B.C. - 1st century AD
The scene shows a Yakshini or goddess being transported by a man seated at the front of a covered cart with double-bullocks. The wheels, the cane/bamboo canopy of the cart and the yoke are elaborately depicted. There are ten other figures, men and women dressed in ornate jewelry on the hands, feet, ears and neck and the traditional dhoti garment. Their heads are covered with turbans (though in other examples, authors have called these elaborate hairstyles). Trees with large leaves and trunks are depicted and some sections show plants on the ground.
This scene reminds me of a bridal procession in which the bride is being taken back to the husband's home - usually in a different village - after the wedding.
For reference here is a song from the film Teesri Kasam that show exactly this scene that is not uncommon in rural life in UP, Bihar and Bengal.
A floral border at the top of the cup outlines the artwork all around the cup.
Comparative examples:
Offered at Christie's in the year 2000: Link
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This item has spent a lifetime being used for the purpose of its creation with the original artist/user. Signs of this life lived heartily may be present on the piece in the form of stains, thread loss, loose threads, holes, tears, color run and other imperfections. Therefore the condition must be assumed to be “not” perfect. More photos of such imperfections will be provided on request.
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