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A Fine & Rare Tea Set, Silver, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Southern India, ca.1880.

REGISTERED ANTIQUITY – NON-EXPORTABLE ITEM.

 

Object Detail

 

This tea set was likely produced in 19th-century Madras, India. A teapot, a sugar cup, and a milk jug together make this tea service complete. A set with all elements present in one place is a rare find. Tea service became a crucial element in colonial celebrations. The British culture of tea drinking and serving made these ornate tea service sets possible. This is an example of swami silverware, known for depicting the swami or Lord Vishnu.

 

The teapot depicts Vishnu, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Balarāma, Kaliā Daman, and two other deities from the Vaishnava pantheon. The sugar cup follows the same style and subject of rendition as the teapot.  The sugar cup has depictions of Hayagrivā, Krishnā, and other Vaishnava figures.  The milk jug has simpler depictions compared to the other pots; some of the figures seem to be Krishnā.

 

It is difficult to find a tea set of this kind together in one place. Similar representations and techniques can be observed in swami silverware from the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum in London. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET)

in New York has a pair of armlets that show similar figures.

 

This tea service set preserves the history of blending cultures and meticulous crafts-

manship in colonial India. The objects in the set exhibit the design and aesthetics of the time. Vaishnava imagery, Indian craftsmanship, and European consumption make this

set of objects valuable traces of the material culture of colonial India.

 

 

Provenance

 

From a Private Collection in Mumbai, India.

 

Condition

 

Good Condition with minor wear.

 

Dimension

 

Tea Pot

Height – 7.5 Inches.

Width – 7.0 Inches.

 

Sugar Bowl

Height – 3.6 Inches.

Width – 5.5 Inches.

 

Cream Jug

Height – 5 Inches.

Width – 3 Inches.

 

Literature Comparison

 

1.Marks, Tasha, In celebration of Afternoon Tea week, food historian Tasha Marks explores the history of the much-loved afternoon treat.British Museum Blog, 14 August 2020 https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/tea-rific-history-victorian-afternoon-tea

 

2.Dehejia, Vidya. Delight in Design: Indian Silver for the Raj. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing, 2008. (Pp-101)

 

3.Object No- 81.1.556, Description, The MET https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/454087

 

4. Accession Number: IS.97-2009, V&A, London https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1139395/locket-unknown/

 

5. Museum number: 2017,3038.2 https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_2017-3038-2

 

 

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