Colonial Lucknow Indian Silver Teaset

Extremely Fine Three-Piece Silver Tea Set

This is the best colonial Lucknow tea set that we have seen. Each piece is decorated with dramatic scenes from an Indian jungle hunt. Everywhere, elephants and elephants with mahouts are being attacked by tigers. The creamer even includes two hunters on horseback being chased by a rhinoceros.

The chasing work is superb, and executed with such precision that the animals and hunters portrayed on each piece seemingly leap right off the surface. The quality of the set is such that even the lid of the teapot which normally would be finished with an innocuous leafy design plays host to a dramatic scene in its own right of a tiger attacking two sets of elephants and their attendant pairs of mahouts.

The spout of the teapot continues the elephant theme and is in the form of a finely-modelled elephant’s head and trunk.

The handles of the teapot and the creamer are covered in fine rattan. (The covering of the creamer or milk jug’s handle in rattan allows for the possibility of hot milk to be served.)

The set is not marked. It is in excellent condition.