KOCHI: The Anglo Indian Simethy family, has been in the antique business, for over two decades. What started as a livelihood, soon turned into a full-fledged passion for collecting and restoring antiques, which led to the formation of the Fine Arts Emporium, a purchase hub of some of the finest artifacts, in Fort Kochi. Now, the family has launched the Antique Museum Kochi, an extention of the Fine Arts Emporium. The museum, which was opened to the public in February, is getting a lot of visitors.
The Simethy brothers say they have exhibited antiques from their personal collection which range over 30 years. “ Initially, it was my elder brother Melvin who started collecting artefacts. Soon, I followed his footsteps. It was our joint decision to start the antique museum, because we felt people needed to understand the significance of our past,” said Robin Simethy, co-owner at the antique museum.
The museum holds a rich compilation of stone carvings, ancient stone and iron-age weapons, wooden statues, traditional Kerala art form costumes, sculptures from churches of the bygone era, Victorian furniture, ancient agricultural equipments, household items, musical instruments belonging to the Attappady tribes. The 8,000 years old Bushman stone, a flat round stone with a hole drilled through the centre which was believed to have been used by bushmen for hunting is the main attraction of the museum. It has been put up inside a glass shelf on the wall of the museum.
“This stone was collected from the Muziris river and is similar to those displayed in the British Museum. We are receiving many visitors from across the world who are showing interest in this stone,” said Shanu Shareef, museum assistant.
Nannangadi is yet another attraction of the museum. It is a 3,000-year-old ancient burial urn covered with a round shaped stone slab. Terracotta pottery collected from these burial urns are also showcased at the museum. In addition to this, a 1,300 year-old monk spade which was carried by Buddhist Monks during
their travels, 800-year-old bronze pots from the Chola period which was used to safeguard gold kept underground, the 15th century cannon ball, made of iron lead used by Tipu Sultan’s army and the 15th century stone cannon ball, used by Kunjali Marakar, are also showcased.
The museum also boasts of a collection of Christian art works. A 150-year-old Quran, the Torah Scroll( Holy book of Jews), a royal letter of a prince’s concern on the upkeep of the royal stables are other interesting pieces in the collection.
Handicrafts are what occupy nearly half of the museum’s space. Indian embroidery, curved wood, home decors, gift items, paintings are some of the objects kept in the museum for sale. Almost all the items in the museum are archeologically registered and certified. The museum is kept open on all days free of entrance fee. The public can visit the musuem between 9 am to 6 pm.