Finely molded and painted in bright cobalt-blue and turquoise-green, the compressed globular body decorated with flower blossoms within panels, all between bands with leaves at the foot and the shoulder, the neck similarly decorated with three bands of geometric designs.

Provenance: From the collection of Peter Millett. Peter Millett (1925-2016) was born in Karwar, Karnataka, on the west coast of India, where his father was serving in the forestry department of the British administered Indian Civil Service. His father-in-law encouraged him to take up a career in tea plantation management, and he moved with his wife and three daughters to the Pambra Estate in Kerala in 1958. There he developed a fondness for the working elephants on the estate and immersed himself in local culture. He became fluent in Tamil and after his eventual retirement in England, he started to pursue his favorite pastime, antique auctions with Indian art, a field in which he was a respected expert.
Condition: Good condition with minor wear and manufacturing irregularities. Some minor glaze losses and the foot and mouth with minor chips.

Weight: 1464.4 g
Dimensions: Height 10.5 cm

Blue pottery is widely recognized as a traditional craft of Jaipur. The name ‘blue pottery’ comes from the eye-catching cobalt blue dye used to color the pottery. It is one of many Eurasian types of blue and white pottery and is related in its shapes and decoration to Islamic and Chinese pottery. Jaipur blue pottery, made out of ceramic frit material similar to Egyptian faience, is glazed and low-fired. No clay is used: the ‘dough’ for the pottery is prepared by mixing quartz stone powder, powdered glass, multani mitti (Fuller’s Earth), borax, gum, and water.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related vase with a haveli and leaf design, dated to the 19^th century, in the Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur, accession number 9200. Compare further related vases with elephant scenes dated to the late 19^th century on display at the Albert Hall Museum.