A late Victorian gharial crocodile head mount (Gavialis gangeticus)
England, late 19th century
L. 96 x W. 39.5 x D. 23.5 cm
This type of object owes its origins largely to Rowland Ward, whose innovations in what became known as "Zoomorphic" or "Wardian" furniture, animal forms repurposed as practical household objects, were marketed from around 1870 onwards. Such pieces held considerable appeal for Victorian collectors, whose taste for the exotic was fed by hunting expeditions to distant corners of the Empire, in this instance Northern India, where the gharial once thrived in significant numbers along the region's river systems.
L. 96 x W. 39.5 x D. 23.5 cm
This type of object owes its origins largely to Rowland Ward, whose innovations in what became known as "Zoomorphic" or "Wardian" furniture, animal forms repurposed as practical household objects, were marketed from around 1870 onwards. Such pieces held considerable appeal for Victorian collectors, whose taste for the exotic was fed by hunting expeditions to distant corners of the Empire, in this instance Northern India, where the gharial once thrived in significant numbers along the region's river systems.
Part of the Natural history and Europe collections.
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