Casket

This rectangular shaped casket is made of cast copper alloy and inlaid with silver. It is richly decorated with dynamic figural imagery including riders on camels, elephants and horses, harpies and enthroned figures. In addition, fascinating astrological representations, such as Saturn in the center, and the Moon and Mars pictured with four arms also appear within roundels and on the base. An inscription in animated calligraphy on the lid enumerates good wishes to the owner.
Such motifs are believed to have originated from Indian (and possibly Hindu) visual culture, suggesting a rich exchange of motifs between the foreign craftsmen who travelled to serve the Islamic Ghurid elites, and the local artistic traditions. Despite some of the extensive silver inlay being lost, the casket still represents one of the finest to survive from the eastern Islamic lands.