Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Dowry Box



Years ago, when child marriage was still prominent in India, the bride would store her clothing, jewellery and knick knacks in this box that her father would present to her when she would leave for her in-laws' place. The closed box has beautiful bronze floral pattern inlays on the top and on the three sides. When the box is opened, it shows the hand crafted motifs with a mirror for the little woman. The bottom part shows numerous comparments for storage of her possessions. There is even a secret compartment in there! It is crafted in Sandal Wood and is quite heavy but can be moved around as it comes with a set of wooden wheels. This antique piece was supposed to be around 60 years old, atleast and was supposed to have been made in Tamil Nadu (South India) by a loving father for his wonderful daughter.

close up of the dowry box

bottom of the dowry box

the bronze inlays of the dowry box

Thursday Challenge: Wood

10 comments:

  1. Does this belong to you? Like an heirloom or something? It is precious and so very beautiful! And it has two pictures in it... I should tell my dad to give me something like this :)

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    1. It belongs to me but not given by my dad (Dowry has been abolished {i hope and pray}), i bought it in Bangalore. The pics are my boys :)

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  2. Wonderful treasure box.. The carvings are awesome!! loved it..

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  3. Such a gorgeous artwork! Great tradition.

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  4. I have never seen one...very interesting!

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  5. I love your post, what a great gift is such a box!

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  6. Hey! I actually have one VERY similar to this! It has the same tray-like insert up top and the left compartment opens and has a sliding board to reveal the hidden compartment. It looks a bit more aged, though, unfortunately, and it didn't come with wheels, but the compartments are a bit different too, though. the inlaid metal on the outside is similar, too, though. Did you ever find out an approximate value of it? I wasn't sure what to rate it for my home insurance, but thought of getting it appraised.

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