Silver
c.1920

Height: 24.5 cm
Weight: 545 g

Bombay, located on the coast of western India, is the political capital city of Maharashtra state, and considered the financial capital of the country. Because of the large port at the heart of the city, the social and cultural demographic of the city has always been largely cosmopolitan. Bombay was also the centre for the trade of the silverware produced in other parts of India. As a result of the city's diverse populace, the range of artistic styles exhibited in Bombay silverware is broad; in the 1909 publication Gold and Silverwork in Bombay Presidency Cecil Burns states, "There is no style of work in silversmithing distinctive in Bombay." This eclectic diversity in silversmithing is also due to artisans from many regions of India such as Cutch, Bengal and Lucknow, who moved to Bombay and brought with them a wide range of design and decorative styles.

The dominant stylistic influence on Bombay silverware was from Cutch, and many articles from Bombay are difficult to distinguish from those originating in Cutch. This is partly a repercussion of the Cutch famine in 1899, after which many Cutch-trained silversmiths migrated to Bombay to practice their craft. One of the classic Bombay alternatives to the intricate scroll designs of Cutch was the creation of 'picture' designs of local scenery.It was not until the early 20th century, that a distinctive Bombay style emerged. These designs largely consisted of animal imagery on the body of the ornament and the use of elephant heads forming the spout of teapots and jugs.

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