Stamp — Brass sectarian stamp ('Chhapa'), Nadia, ca.1860s
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca.1860s
Stamp in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number 04614B/(IS)), made in Nadia, dated ca.1860s, attributed to unknown. The museum's brief description reads: choppa; Printing, brass, Nuddea.
Museum description: The rectangular brass stamp ('chhapa') is inscribed in Bengali script (not reversed): 'Shri Shri Radha Krishna' and is used by the Vaishnavites, particularly devotees of Chaitanya to imprint their bodies with devine names or attributes. A dilute paste of sandalwood or a type of chalky clay ('Gopichandan') is applied on the stamp for imprinting. The museum records it as Cast brass, measuring Length 8.4 cm.
These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Brass
- Dimensions
- Length 8.4 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Cast brass
- Maker recorded
- unknown
- Place recorded
- Nadia
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- 'Shri Shri Radha Krishna' in Bengali script.
Identification
- Museum object name
- Stamp
- Museum object number
- 04614B/(IS)
- Museum system number
- O108442
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.