ANTIQUE 20thC INDIAN SOLID SILVER TROPHY CUP & COVER, GRISH CHUNDER DUTT c.1910
Antique early 20th Century Indian Colonial solid silver trophy cup and cover by Grish Chunder Dutt. The lid is surmounted by a finial modelled as Lord Buddha, with engraved scenes below depicting a house under construction, trees, and jungle. The smooth rim is inscribed "All India Boxing Tournament, Calcutta, 1913, Promoter & Manager G.W. Mercaùo". The body is richly decorated with classical village scenes including farming, children playing on a rope swing, musicians, and country landscapes with trees and a peacock. Two repoussé floral bands encircle the body, and the piece stands on a round, domed base with further floral and foliage decoration.
Reference Number: A11061
Antique early 20th Century Indian Colonial solid silver trophy cup and cover by Grish Chunder Dutt. The lid is surmounted by a finial modelled as Lord Buddha, with engraved scenes below depicting a house under construction, trees, and jungle. The smooth rim is inscribed "All India Boxing Tournament, Calcutta, 1913, Promoter & Manager G.W. Mercaùo". The body is richly decorated with classical village scenes including farming, children playing on a rope swing, musicians, and country landscapes with trees and a peacock. Two repoussé floral bands encircle the body, and the piece stands on a round, domed base with further floral and foliage decoration.
Reference Number: A11061
Antique early 20th Century Indian Colonial solid silver trophy cup and cover by Grish Chunder Dutt. The lid is surmounted by a finial modelled as Lord Buddha, with engraved scenes below depicting a house under construction, trees, and jungle. The smooth rim is inscribed "All India Boxing Tournament, Calcutta, 1913, Promoter & Manager G.W. Mercaùo". The body is richly decorated with classical village scenes including farming, children playing on a rope swing, musicians, and country landscapes with trees and a peacock. Two repoussé floral bands encircle the body, and the piece stands on a round, domed base with further floral and foliage decoration.
Reference Number: A11061
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
In 1913, India witnessed a notable chapter in its early boxing history with the staging of an Indian Boxing Tournament, organised and managed by G.W. Mercaùo. At a time when Western sports were steadily gaining ground in colonial India, this event represented one of the country’s first formal forays into competitive boxing. Mercaùo, a well-known promoter and manager of the period, brought together both European and Indian pugilists, reflecting the diverse sporting culture of British India. The tournament attracted considerable local interest and press coverage, serving as a rare platform for Indian boxers to test their skills within a structured competitive setting — an early indication of the sport’s potential in the subcontinent.
This type of chased decoration depicting figures in a landscape is typically from Calcutta, but in this case the quality of the chasing and the naturalism appear to be exceptional. A very similar style and quality can be found in the best pieces by Grish Chunder Dutt, active in Bhowanipore, Calcutta.
The piece is not marked with the Maker's mark (as often the case for Indian silver). It has to be noted that a bowl depicting similar design by Grish Chunder Dutt was sold in Bonhams in 2010 for £9600 and it was part of the Collection of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Archiduke Franz Ferdinand. The detailed and naturalistic shape of cows and figures, the rounded and matted surface imitating the leaves on the trees and the hammered decoration imitating water and flat ground are all elements that are visible both in this bowl and in the most famous pieces signed by Grish Chunder Dutt, such as the bowl previously mentioned another notable mention as a reference is a jug featuring the "Descent of the Ganges", held in the Virginia Museum of Fine Art.
CONDITION
In Great Condition - Wear expected with age. Please refer to photographs.
SIZE
Height: 35 cm // 13.78 inches
Width: 23 cm // 9.06 inches
Depth: 13 cm // 5.12 inches
Weight: 1080 grams // 34.73 ozt