{"id":5592301797526,"title":"Antique Indian Silver Presentation Jug, Calcutta Light Horse Regiment, Calcutta (kolkata), India – Circa 1890","handle":"antique-indian-silver-presentation-jug-calcutta-light-horse-regiment-calcutta-kolkata-india-circa-1890","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis interesting Indian silver ale jug is of good quality and fashioned from heavy gauge silver. It was made by the Calcutta (Kolkata) firm of Grish Chunder Dutt in the European, specifically British, style. Simple unadorned stylish silver vessels of practical form and without superfluous ornament, demonstrate Dr Christopher Dresser’s influence on British design and became popular from the 1880s onwards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf equestrian, historical and military interest, the jug is inscribed, “Calcutta Light Horse Hon. Members’ Paper-Chase Cup won by J.D. West on Saxonbury 18th Feb: 1892”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Calcutta Light Horse was a part time auxiliary regiment under Bengal Command in British India. In 1759, Robert Clive, Commander-in-Chief of British India and the first Governor General, enlisted local merchants into The Voluntary Cavalry to repel an invasion of Dutch and Malay troops. The merchants enjoyed the experience and the unit continued, undergoing a number of name changes; The Mounted Company of the Calcutta Volunteer Rifle Corps, The Calcutta Volunteer Guards, The Calcutta Volunteer Lancers and finally on 14th September 1886, it was renamed the Calcutta Light Horse (CLH), forming part of the Cavalry Reserve in the British Indian Army and disbanded following India’s independence in 1947.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMembership was drawn from the business community, typically jute merchants, bankers, brokers, solicitors and accountants. The CLH was popular with members and they did not seem to find the military requirements too onerous. They were expected to attend a two week summer training camp each year and turn out for a number of evening parades during the rest of the year. Most found these activities an enjoyable change and escape from daily business life. By tradition, the CLH always led Calcutta’s New Year’s Day Proclamation Parade, providing a traditional mounted escort for the Viceroy, their Honorary Colonel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe CLH was a prominent feature of the Calcutta social scene and members found camaraderie and fun in the regiment. They could improve their equestrian skills and received a generous government allowance towards the upkeep of a horse. They had their own clubhouse with a bar and reasonably priced accommodation and a busy calendar of social events, most of them equestrian. Popular equestrian activities included polo, pig sticking, tent pegging, point-to-point races and visits to local estates for hunting. One of the most popular events was undoubtedly the paper-chase.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA cross country course of three to four miles long would be chosen for the paper chase and marked out by a trail of paper for competitors to follow. It would include about twenty hurdles with stiff mud walls, varying in height and the pace of the race was normally very fast. The British Horse Trials’ Association still present a trophy called The Calcutta Light Horse Trophy, to the owner of the horse gaining the highest number of points during the British Eventing season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy 1892, Calcutta was of the great commercial centres of Asia and the second city of the British Empire, with a population of around 3.5 million, including 200,000 Europeans. About twenty years previously, a group of Indian silversmiths had started to trade from the suburb of Bhowanipore. Most of the workers had previously trained within the European establishments in Calcutta which made goods for the local European community and according to the current European style. These Bhowanipore workshops quickly became known for producing good quality silver in the European style at a competitive price, when compared to the city centre shops. The workers used a heavy gauge of sterling silver sheet which they imported directly from England. The maker of this jug, Grish Chunder Dutt, is regarded as one of the best Bhowanipore makers and is known to have been trading from around 1890, becoming Grish Chunder Dutt \u0026amp; Sons about 1900.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Calcutta International Exhibition of 1883, featured a new, more Indian style of silver which emerged from the Bhowanipore workshops. This became known as ‘Calcutta Style’ and items featured scenes of rural and village life or illustrated local folk or religious stories. This local style may have been created specifically for display at the exhibition but after being praised by the judges, it becoming instantly popular and a commercial success.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/em\u003e              UK art market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSize:\u003c\/em\u003e                              Height 23 cms, width 23 cms (approx)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:\u003c\/em\u003e                      1160 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJames Leasor, Boarding Party, Stratus Books Ltd, Cornwall 2001\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWynyard R T Wilkinson, Indian Silver 1858-1947: Decorative Silver from the Indian Sub-Continent and Burma Made by Local Craftsmen in Western Forms, W Wilkinson \u0026amp; Indar Pashrical Fine Arts, 1997\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDeWitt C Ellinwood, Between Two Worlds: A Rajput Officer in the Indian Army, 1905-21: Based on the Diary of Amar Singh of Jaipur, University Press of America 2005\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Paperchase in India, The Graphic, 14th December 1889\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2020-08-09T22:03:13+01:00","created_at":"2020-08-09T22:03:12+01:00","vendor":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","type":"Presentation Jug","tags":["Sold Archive"],"price":0,"price_min":0,"price_max":0,"available":false,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":35688796749974,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"JC-PRES-06922","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"name":"Antique Indian Silver Presentation Jug, Calcutta Light Horse Regiment, Calcutta (kolkata), India – Circa 1890","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":0,"weight":0,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BVKV_Pcid_803D6D9B-E0FC-44CC-BB53-9F4DACD13A97_home.jpg?v=1597006994","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/MKR_2GH1_7698-Edit.jpg?v=1597006994","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/UF_3cid_4E2242B9-1196-49C9-B9F6-781F8CFABD98_home.jpg?v=1597006994","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/O8NO_4cid_1AEA6615-0858-43B3-A5AD-749EE66F07CF_home.jpg?v=1597006994"],"featured_image":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BVKV_Pcid_803D6D9B-E0FC-44CC-BB53-9F4DACD13A97_home.jpg?v=1597006994","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":10620456206486,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":480,"width":480,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BVKV_Pcid_803D6D9B-E0FC-44CC-BB53-9F4DACD13A97_home.jpg?v=1597006994"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":480,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/BVKV_Pcid_803D6D9B-E0FC-44CC-BB53-9F4DACD13A97_home.jpg?v=1597006994","width":480},{"alt":null,"id":10620456239254,"position":2,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":480,"width":480,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/MKR_2GH1_7698-Edit.jpg?v=1597006994"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":480,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/MKR_2GH1_7698-Edit.jpg?v=1597006994","width":480},{"alt":null,"id":10620456272022,"position":3,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":480,"width":480,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/UF_3cid_4E2242B9-1196-49C9-B9F6-781F8CFABD98_home.jpg?v=1597006994"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":480,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/UF_3cid_4E2242B9-1196-49C9-B9F6-781F8CFABD98_home.jpg?v=1597006994","width":480},{"alt":null,"id":10620456304790,"position":4,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":480,"width":480,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/O8NO_4cid_1AEA6615-0858-43B3-A5AD-749EE66F07CF_home.jpg?v=1597006994"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":480,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/O8NO_4cid_1AEA6615-0858-43B3-A5AD-749EE66F07CF_home.jpg?v=1597006994","width":480}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cp\u003eThis interesting Indian silver ale jug is of good quality and fashioned from heavy gauge silver. It was made by the Calcutta (Kolkata) firm of Grish Chunder Dutt in the European, specifically British, style. Simple unadorned stylish silver vessels of practical form and without superfluous ornament, demonstrate Dr Christopher Dresser’s influence on British design and became popular from the 1880s onwards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf equestrian, historical and military interest, the jug is inscribed, “Calcutta Light Horse Hon. Members’ Paper-Chase Cup won by J.D. West on Saxonbury 18th Feb: 1892”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Calcutta Light Horse was a part time auxiliary regiment under Bengal Command in British India. In 1759, Robert Clive, Commander-in-Chief of British India and the first Governor General, enlisted local merchants into The Voluntary Cavalry to repel an invasion of Dutch and Malay troops. The merchants enjoyed the experience and the unit continued, undergoing a number of name changes; The Mounted Company of the Calcutta Volunteer Rifle Corps, The Calcutta Volunteer Guards, The Calcutta Volunteer Lancers and finally on 14th September 1886, it was renamed the Calcutta Light Horse (CLH), forming part of the Cavalry Reserve in the British Indian Army and disbanded following India’s independence in 1947.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMembership was drawn from the business community, typically jute merchants, bankers, brokers, solicitors and accountants. The CLH was popular with members and they did not seem to find the military requirements too onerous. They were expected to attend a two week summer training camp each year and turn out for a number of evening parades during the rest of the year. Most found these activities an enjoyable change and escape from daily business life. By tradition, the CLH always led Calcutta’s New Year’s Day Proclamation Parade, providing a traditional mounted escort for the Viceroy, their Honorary Colonel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe CLH was a prominent feature of the Calcutta social scene and members found camaraderie and fun in the regiment. They could improve their equestrian skills and received a generous government allowance towards the upkeep of a horse. They had their own clubhouse with a bar and reasonably priced accommodation and a busy calendar of social events, most of them equestrian. Popular equestrian activities included polo, pig sticking, tent pegging, point-to-point races and visits to local estates for hunting. One of the most popular events was undoubtedly the paper-chase.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA cross country course of three to four miles long would be chosen for the paper chase and marked out by a trail of paper for competitors to follow. It would include about twenty hurdles with stiff mud walls, varying in height and the pace of the race was normally very fast. The British Horse Trials’ Association still present a trophy called The Calcutta Light Horse Trophy, to the owner of the horse gaining the highest number of points during the British Eventing season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy 1892, Calcutta was of the great commercial centres of Asia and the second city of the British Empire, with a population of around 3.5 million, including 200,000 Europeans. About twenty years previously, a group of Indian silversmiths had started to trade from the suburb of Bhowanipore. Most of the workers had previously trained within the European establishments in Calcutta which made goods for the local European community and according to the current European style. These Bhowanipore workshops quickly became known for producing good quality silver in the European style at a competitive price, when compared to the city centre shops. The workers used a heavy gauge of sterling silver sheet which they imported directly from England. The maker of this jug, Grish Chunder Dutt, is regarded as one of the best Bhowanipore makers and is known to have been trading from around 1890, becoming Grish Chunder Dutt \u0026amp; Sons about 1900.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Calcutta International Exhibition of 1883, featured a new, more Indian style of silver which emerged from the Bhowanipore workshops. This became known as ‘Calcutta Style’ and items featured scenes of rural and village life or illustrated local folk or religious stories. This local style may have been created specifically for display at the exhibition but after being praised by the judges, it becoming instantly popular and a commercial success.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/em\u003e              UK art market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSize:\u003c\/em\u003e                              Height 23 cms, width 23 cms (approx)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:\u003c\/em\u003e                      1160 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJames Leasor, Boarding Party, Stratus Books Ltd, Cornwall 2001\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWynyard R T Wilkinson, Indian Silver 1858-1947: Decorative Silver from the Indian Sub-Continent and Burma Made by Local Craftsmen in Western Forms, W Wilkinson \u0026amp; Indar Pashrical Fine Arts, 1997\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDeWitt C Ellinwood, Between Two Worlds: A Rajput Officer in the Indian Army, 1905-21: Based on the Diary of Amar Singh of Jaipur, University Press of America 2005\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Paperchase in India, The Graphic, 14th December 1889\u003c\/p\u003e"}