Resting on a disc, stem with a central node surmounted by a large container.The base is decorated with leaves, while the outside of the container shows a historiated band marked by trees. The two scenes most probably depict rituals on the banks of India's most famous holy river, the Ganges. In one scene we see a group of people witnessing a ritual ablution and, in the other, the goddess Ganga floats on the water on her mount, the makara.Since 1858 Calcutta became the main export of colonial silverware. Hamilton & Co. was the first British company to open a branch in Calcutta. This sort of Indian production was reserved for export and customized to the English taste with smooth lines and minimal decorations in a typical European style. A few years later the production became more elaborate, with scenes of daily life in the villages, animals and trees. Local silversmiths of the period include Grish Chunder Dutt, Dass & Dutt and Goope Nath Dutt.According to Dehejia this style developed in Bhowanipore, a suburb of Calcutta, in the late 19th century (Dehejia, V., Delight in Design: Indian Silver for the Raj, Mapin, 2008. p. 185).

21.2 x 10.7 cm