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Milk Strainer/Cream Jug, Silver, Possibly Bhowanipore, West Bengal, Eastern India, ca. 1890-1920.

REGISTERED ANTIQUITY – NON-EXPORTABLE ITEM.

 

Object Detail

 

Indian silver usually refers to the silverware made during the colonial period. Calcutta style was notably associated with workshops in Bhowanipore, where firms like Dass & Dutt thrived. This milk strainer belongs to that era. Although it formed part of a larger colonial tea set, it holds its own as an independent piece.

 

The strainer boasts a round, shallow design that combines functionality with elegance, featuring a delicately curved spout crafted for effortless pouring of milk. Its handle is not only aesthetically pleasing but also thoughtfully designed for comfort; it is adorned with five intricately crafted protruding sprout-like embellishments, strategically spaced to enhance grip and style. Beneath the handle lies a circular decorative rim, expertly designed with a textured grip to ensure stability while pouring. Encircling the entire strainer is a beautifully detailed band that captures the essence of village life.

 

This intricate decoration showcases quintessential Bengali huts with their thatched roofs, tall palm trees swaying gently in the breeze, and scenes of villagers engaged in their daily activities, bringing the strainer to life with a vibrant narrative. Each element illustrates a moment in rural existence, making this functional piece not just a kitchen accessory but a work of art that celebrates culture and craftsmanship, crafted in repoussé technique. As Vidya Dehejia notes, while many of these pieces were made for European patrons, the decoration celebrated local life, often in almost cartoon-like representations. The result is a curious mix: objects for the colonial table, but adorned with distinctly Bengali imagery.

 

Girish Chunder Dutt, whose workshop in Bhowanipore (active 1872–1947) gained international recognition, winning a gold medal at the Calcutta Industrial Exhibition in 1906 and the highest award at the C.P. & Berar Exhibition in Nagpur in 1908. Thus, this small milk strainer carries with it a layered history: of colonial rituals of tea, of global exhibitions shaping local aesthetics, and of the creative responses of Bhowanipore’s craftsmen, who transformed everyday vessels into miniature landscapes of Bengal in silver.

 

Provenance

 

From a Private Collection in Mumbai, India.

 

Condition

 

Good Condition with minor wear.

 

Dimension

 

 

Literature Comparison

 

1.Indian Silver—History & Silversmiths, Pushkin Antiques, accessed September 9, 2025, https://pushkins.com/indian-silver-full-article.

 

2.Michael Backman Ltd, “Indian Colonial Silver Calcutta,” Michael Backman Ltd, accessed September 9, 2025, https://www.michaelbackmanltd.com/archived_objects/indian-colonial-silver-calcutta/.

 

3.Lyon & Turnbull, Calcutta – An Indian Presentation Beaker, Grish Chunder Dutt of Calcutta, Late 19th Century, auction listing, accessed September 9, 2025, https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/lyon-and-turnbull/catalogue-id-srly10509/lot-ff26d968-69bb-46fd-ad37-b28301669cc2

 

4.Indian Silver—History & Silversmiths, Pushkin Antiques, accessed September 9, 2025, https://pushkins.com/indian-silver-full-article.

 

5.Christine Cariati, “Gods, Serpents, Leaves and Flowers: Indian Silver for the Raj,” Venetian Red Art Blog, accessed September 9, 2025, https://venetianred.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/gods-serpents-leaves-and-flowers-indian-silver-of-the-ra.

 

6.Michael Backman Ltd, “Indian Colonial Silver Calcutta,” Michael Backman Ltd, accessed September 9, 2025, https://www.michaelbackmanltd.com/archived_objects/indian-colonial-silver-calcutta/.

 

7.Harish Patel, “Calcutta – Silver Art,” Behance, accessed September 9, 2025, https://www.behance.net/gallery/17490529/Calcutta-Silver-Art?

 

8.Charles Moore Fine Arts, “Silver in the City of Palaces, Grish Chunder Dutt,” Charles Moore Fine Arts, accessed September 9, 2025, https://cmfinearts.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/silver-in-the-city-of-palaces-grish-chunder-dutt/

 

9.Lyon & Turnbull, Calcutta – An Indian Presentation Beaker, Grish Chunder Dutt of Calcutta, Late 19th Century, auction listing, accessed September 9, 2025, https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/lyon-and-turnbull/catalogue-id-srly10509/lot-ff26d968-69bb-46fd-ad37-b28301669cc2

 

10.George Watt, ed., Indian Art at Delhi, 1903: Being the Official Catalogue of the Delhi Exhibition, 1902–1903 (Calcutta: Superintendent of Government Printing, 1903)

 

11.Vidya Dehejia, Delight in Design: Indian Silver for the Raj (Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing, 2008).

 

 

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