Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Objects of Vertu

A late 19th century Indian silver three piece tea service, by Grish Chunder Dutt, Calcutta, of good gauge, decorated in high relief with native figures in rural landscapes with trees and thatched buildings on a sanded ground, the handles and spout modelled as elephant trunks, the teapot finial designed as a figure on a elephant, each piece stamped to the base with maker's mark 'GRISH CHUNDER DUTT, BHOWANIPORE, CALCUTTA', teapot with ivory insulators, height of teapot approximately 15cm. £600-£800

Grish Chunder Dutt & Sons were one of the best and most prolific silversmiths working in Bhowanipore, a suburb of Calcutta, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The firm was established in 1872 and became known for their distinctive local style of decoration, depicting rural scenes of Bengal village life and local religious traditions, possibly resulting from the 1883 Calcutta International Exhibition which encouraged the development of regional styles, as opposed to the British inspired Colonial style of silverwork prevalent in the 19th century.


Literature:
Wilkinson, Wynyard: Indian Silver 1858-1947, London 1999, pages 55-57.

Ivory Submission reference HH9FK8SC.