Colonial Indian Calcutte Silver Kettle

Unusual Silver Kettle, Burner & Stand

This very fine solid silver kettle and stand set is unusual as far as Indian colonial silver is concerned because the form – a kettle with a stand and burner – is almost never encountered in Indian silver but is somewhat more frequently encountered among Chinese export silver.

The kettle, of flattened, spherical form, is chased all over with scenes of Indian village life against a ring-mat background. The quality of the chasing is unusually good for Calcutta work. The lid, which has a bud finial, is similarly chased and sits in the kettle, as is the underside of the spout.

The handle is hollow cast and in the form of bamboo.

The stand, matches the handle, in that it too is (solid) cast as bamboo canes. The silver burner sits in the frame of the stand and has a domed, cylindrical cap, which sits over the flame barrel. The cap is attached to the rest of the burner by means of a silver chain.

Dehejia (2008, p. 185) reports that silversmithing in colonial Calcutta was concentrated in workshops in the suburb of Bhowanipore.

The kettle, burner and stand are all in excellent condition.

Dehejia, V., Delight in Design: Indian Silver for the Raj, Mapin, 2008.

UK art market