Five Rare Repoussed Silver Zoroastrian Plaques for a Fire Temple
Parsee Community, India, probably Bombay
19th century

dimensions: 19.5cm x 3.7cm (x2); 10.4cm x 3.6cm (x2); and 16cm x 6.9cm; combined weight: 215g

This very rare set of five silver plaques are repoussed and chased with Zoroastrian religious scenes and would have been made in Bombay for the local Parsee (Parsi) community.

Most likely, the plaques were commissioned to be attached to the doors leading to a room of particular religious significance in a Parsee fire temple, quite possibly the prayer hall or fire chamber. Each of the plaques has been drilled with small holes to allow for fixing to a wall or door. Stewart (2013, p. 212) shows a serving priest (boyvara) tending the sacred fire in the fire chamber of a fire temple and affixed to the double doors leading to the chamber are a series of  plaques similar to the examples here.