ANTIQUE 20thC INDIAN SOLID SILVER SWAMI TEA SERVICE, KRISHNIAH CHETTY c.1910
20th Century Exceptional Indian colonial solid silver six-piece tea service, comprising of coffee pot, water jug, teapot, sugar bowl, cream jug, sugar tongs and a tray, each body is profusely and beautifully repousse' decorated with religious processions, a typical scenes from the Meenakshi Amman temple in southern India, depicting the story of Vishnu's decent to earth as Jagganath. The realistically modelled snake shaped handles, lids mounted with finials depicting a seated Shiva on an elephant and a cow, the tray with numerous panels depicting traditional rural scenes and mounted around the edge with a cast snake boarder and intertwining handles.
Reference Number: A5864
20th Century Exceptional Indian colonial solid silver six-piece tea service, comprising of coffee pot, water jug, teapot, sugar bowl, cream jug, sugar tongs and a tray, each body is profusely and beautifully repousse' decorated with religious processions, a typical scenes from the Meenakshi Amman temple in southern India, depicting the story of Vishnu's decent to earth as Jagganath. The realistically modelled snake shaped handles, lids mounted with finials depicting a seated Shiva on an elephant and a cow, the tray with numerous panels depicting traditional rural scenes and mounted around the edge with a cast snake boarder and intertwining handles.
Reference Number: A5864
20th Century Exceptional Indian colonial solid silver six-piece tea service, comprising of coffee pot, water jug, teapot, sugar bowl, cream jug, sugar tongs and a tray, each body is profusely and beautifully repousse' decorated with religious processions, a typical scenes from the Meenakshi Amman temple in southern India, depicting the story of Vishnu's decent to earth as Jagganath. The realistically modelled snake shaped handles, lids mounted with finials depicting a seated Shiva on an elephant and a cow, the tray with numerous panels depicting traditional rural scenes and mounted around the edge with a cast snake boarder and intertwining handles.
Reference Number: A5864
DESCRIPTION
Antique early-20th Century Exceptional Indian colonial solid silver six-piece tea service, comprising of coffee pot, water jug, teapot, sugar bowl, cream jug, sugar tongs and a tray, each body is profusely and beautifully repousse' decorated with religious processions, a typical scenes from the Meenakshi Amman temple in southern India, depicting the story of Vishnu's decent to earth as Jagganath. The realistically modelled snake shaped handles, lids mounted with finials depicting a seated Shiva on an elephant and a cow, the tray with numerous panels depicting traditional rural scenes and mounted around the edge with a cast snake boarder and intertwining handles.
Indian silver depicting deities and religious processions is inspired by the bas-reliefs on the famous temples in southern India and the style is called "Swami" (see Wilkinson). This style is typically from Madras and is often made by the famous firm P. Orr & Son, widely considered as the most important silversmith firm in Colonial South India, reputed to be the largest and best appointed establishment of the kind in India.
This set however is hallmarked C. Krishniah Chetty, Bangalore, a renowned jewellery brand based in Bangalore, India. The group today comprises of six entities: C. Krishniah Chetty & Sons, C. Krishniah Chetty Jewellers, C. Krishniah Chetty Manufacturers, C. Krishniah Chetty Foundation, C. Krishniah Chetty Partnership Firm & C. Krishniah Chetty Charitable Trust.
The group was founded in 1869, and is still run by the fifth and sixth generations of the C. Krishniah Chetty Family. The company was founded by Cotha Krishniah Chetty, who began selling coloured beads to the British Army on the first Commercial Street, of the then Cantonment Area. The company is famed for being the preferred jewellers to over 21 royal kingdoms including the Maharaja of Mysore, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Maharaja of Travancore, the Nawab of Savanur, the Maharaja of Sandur, the Maharaja of Dhrangadra and many royal families of south and central India. Today the group runs six stores across the city of Bangalore.
Some of the famous articles crafted by C. Krishniah Chetty & Sons include life size perambulators for princes, silver temple doors, inaugural keys and even a gold cricket bat for Sachin Tendulkar on his 35th Century. The company has been an innovator in the jewellery industry in India; they were the first to bring the famed Tolkowsky brand to India, the first to launch fancy coloured diamonds in India, the first to Launch DeBeers' Forevermark brand in India, and also the first store with the largest purely diamond showroom in all of Asia.
CONDITION
In Great Condition - No Damage.
SIZE
TRAY
Width: 68.5 x 47cm
Weight: 3025g
COFFEE POT
Height: 25cm
Width: 22 x 14cm
Weight: 875g
WATER JUG
Height: 19cm
Width: 13 x 11cm
Weight: 465g
TEAPOT
Height: 20cm
Width: 24 x 14cm
Weight: 715g
SUGAR BOWL
Height: 13cm
Width: 19 x 11cm
Weight: 480g
CREAM JUG
Height: 10cm
Width: 13 x 9cm
Weight: 215g
SUGAR TONGS
Length: 19cm
Width: 4 x 3cm
Weight: 90g
