The Meaning of Accessory Shapes

Though soulfully produced in an array of styles, there’s more than meets the eye to a number of our decorative accessories that Jean-Charles Chappuis sources for Currey & Company. Though we’re sure you’ll recognize each of these accessory shapes for their powerful profiles in our product line, we wanted to share how the vessels were originally used in case you missed the origins in the product descriptions on our website. We’ll present the vessels in two posts: today, we look at objects that began their lives in India. Soon, we will feature accessories from China and Southeast Asia.

Origins of Accessory Shapes from India

The Currey & Company Hymachal Pot Set includes three distressed decorative jars.

Our Hymachal Pot Set—three antique pots from Hymachal Pradesh, a state in northern India in the Himalayas—includes a trio of time-honored accessory shapes. Originally used as pots for villagers to collect cow’s milk, these distressed decorative jars with a blue-wash surface have been repaired in places, increasing the powerful patina they exude. No two assortments will be exactly the same.

London Tea Boxes in Ivory, Black, and Pale Blue are accessory shapes with meaning.

Our London Tea Boxes, which we offer in three sizes in ivory, black, and blue, pay homage to the canisters used by Indian companies to export tea leaves to England since the 14th century. Lacquered with a very refined crackled finish, these iron toleware decorative accessories serve a purpose and look lovely at the same time.

The Currey & Company Jaisalmer Box Set includes three vintage tobacco boxes.

The Jaisalmer Box Set includes three hand-turned vessels that are high-end reproductions of vintage tobacco boxes used in Rajasthan. The red and yellow lacquered treatment makes the decorative accents look authentic to the time when this color combination signaled they hailed from the city of Jaisalmer on the southern route of the Silk Road. These fit perfectly in the category of accessory shapes that have ample meaning behind them.

The Chloros Jars are accessory shapes with meaning.

Our Chloros Jars also pay homage to the canisters used by Indian companies to export tea leaves to England since the 14th century. Made of porcelain with a beautiful reactive dark emerald glaze, we offer this luxe green decorative accessory in two sizes. Pair the large and small jars for double the punch.

The Currey & Company Gujarat Pot Set include four antique wood pots.

The Gujarat Pot Set includes four folk-art vessels that are among our most distressed accessory shapes. The wood pots are old and were originally used to measure seeds and rice being sold in rural areas of northwest India. No two assortments of these wood decorative vessels will be alike.

The Bikaner Box Set includes three hand-turned vessels that are high-end reproductions of vintage tobacco boxes used in Rajasthan. The black lacquered treatment makes the decorative accents look authentic to the time when this color and shape signaled they hailed from the city of Bikaner on the southern route of the Silk Road.

The Currey & Company Jaswan Vessel Set includes four antique tobacco boxes.

The Jaswan Vessel Set includes four antique tobacco boxes from Rajasthan that were carved from a single piece of wood. This flat shape indicates these vessels were reserved for high-end tobacco. No two assortments of these heavily distressed wood decorative vessels will be alike, which certainly makes them soulful accessory shapes.

The Arcadia vessels by Currey & Company include two antique decorative jars with patina.

Our Arcadia vessels have a Greek-inspired shape that would have originally been devoted to holding olive oil. Similarly shaped vessels in India would have been used to hold Ghee, a clarified butter for cooking that was made from cow’s milk. We offer these as a set of two distressed vases that are hand-thrown and hand-colored in sand, teal, and red hues. The rudimentary feel of these designs makes these decorative vases read as antiques that were handmade in a bygone era.

Springing into March!

Two of our blue London Tea Boxes in blue in our High Point Showroom.

As we spring into March, we must say it was terrific to see those of you who traveled to High Point for our First Tuesday opening this week. If you did, you may have spotted a few of the accessories we featured in the post today. If you did, let us know if you have a favorite.