On this intricately painted bottle can be seen a woman seated on a chair with a small dog in her lap. Golden flowers on long vines bloom behind the two figures, and the scene is framed by a scalloped arch at the top. Each side of the square bottle is decorated with alternating scenes of flowers and figures. Luxury glassware, such as this example, was made in the 18th century in Gujarat, located in western India. Part of a set of six bottles, it originally had matching cups and may have contained beverages or perfumed water.

While the decoration and figures are Indian in design, the square shape of the bottle is thought to be inspired by Dutch gin bottles. And it was not the result of coincidence: the Dutch East India Company had a trade factory in Gujarat starting in 1618.

This bottle from India is currently on view on the fourth floor of the Ahmanson Building. Check out LACMA's Collections Online to learn more about this work.

This year marks LACMA's 50th anniversary. We're celebrating all that we've done while looking forward to what's in store for us in the next 50. Check back every week on Unframed to find a highlight of an artwork from LACMA's collection, which features over 120,000 objects that span time, the globe, and all cultures. This is 15/50 of the series.