Dass & Dutt

Dass & Dutt was one of the most famous and prosperous silverware workshops, operating in India from late 19th century until the early 20th. The firm was based in Bhonivapore, a suburb of Calcutta. The company’s products stand out thanks to their exceptional and peculiar design.

Dass & Dutt’s design represented chased scenes of Calcutta daily life. Unlike other silversmiths, Dass & Dutt preferred smoother style and somehow less crisp and detailed than other Indian designs.

Dass & Dutt’s silverware design usually depicted a picturesque narrative of Indian rural life. Their exquisite products, such as vases, bowls, sets of pepper pots, tea services and torch stands, represented countryside landscapes and people doing their everyday chores. The scenes of harvesting, chopping wood or just people interacting with animals were the leading motives.

Along with Grish Chunder Dutt and Hamilton & Co, Dass & Dutt is considered the most prominent silversmiths that has ever worked in Calcutta. With common motives and themes, these workshops’ craftsmen worked in different styles, unique in their own ways. Unlike Hamilton & Co’s polished and minimalistic approach, Grish’s silverware was elaborated and tactile. As for Dass & Dutt, the firm experimented with styles. As well as elaborated ornaments, they would use simple thumbprints or flower-petal patterns on a smooth surface.

Highly appreciated for its exceptionality, silverware by Dass & Dutt is sought after by antiques connoisseurs and private collectors worldwide.