Pomander (1600s–1700s): Art, History and Details

Pomander (1600s–1700s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This tiny pear-shaped vial worn tied to a sash would have held scented water or oil. The lid opens to reveal a perforated sprinkler decorated with fine filigree and colorful enamel. A popular scent was attar of roses, made from the essential oil of rose petals.

Object facts

• Title: Pomander
• Date: 1600s–1700s
• Culture: Mughal India
• Type: Container
• Technique: spherical rock crystal cover with enameled silver mounts
• Dimensions: Overall: 4.5 x 3.2 cm (1 3/4 x 1 1/4 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1989.349

A detail from the museum

Rock crystal was a desired, though rare, material for luxury objects at the Mughal court.

Collection credit

Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin

Further reading listed by the museum

• Catalogue of the Severance and Greta Millikin Collection. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1990.
• Lefèvre, Corinne. Les Arts Moghols, Paris: Citadelles & Mazenod, 2024.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.