Silver And Enamel Paon, 23.5cm, India, Jaipur, 1900- 1910.

Enamel and silver figurine depicting a peacock with outstretched tail, resting on a finely worked base. Vividly colored enamels in green, blue, pink, brown and yellow-black decorate the whole in minute detail. Numerous garnets are set on the tail fan, others on the silver-embossed flowers at the base, while two larger pear-shaped garnets are set on either side of the body. In the center of the corolla a lapis lazuli.
The enameling technique is called Minakari, a process of painting and coloring the surfaces of metals and ceramic tiles by enameling, originating in Safavid Iran. It is practiced as an art form and produced commercially mainly in Iran, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Minakari art usually involves intricate designs, mainly using geometric shapes and patterns. The word Mīnākārī is a compound word, composed of the words mīnā and kārī. Mīnā is a feminine variant of the word mīnū, meaning paradise or heaven. Kārī means to make or place something on top of something else. Together, the word Mīnākārī means to place paradise on an object.