Antique Indian Silver Teapot c.1900

This is an exceptional, fine and impressive antique Indian silver teapot; an addition to our diverse continental teaware collection This exceptional antique Indian silver teapot has a circular form onto a spreading foot. The body of this exceptional teapot is embellished with impressive chased leaf decoration, accented with a central broad interlacing band comprising seven panels. Each panel is ornamented with an impressive chased Hindu deity, each surmounting an iconic animal*, including: lion, peacock, elephant and leopard. This Indian silver teapot is fitted with a hinged domed cover ornamented with Hindu figures within circular cartouches and segmented with further leaf designs. The cover is surmounted with the original cast silver finial, realistically modelled in the form of a meditating deity style figure. This exceptional Indian silver teapot is fitted with an impressive C shaped cast silver handle, realistically modelled in the form of an elephant's head and trunk. The teapot is fitted with an impressive cast swan necked spout, also modelled in the form of an elephant's head, accented with plain tusk designs and ears to the lower portion. The hallmarks struck to the underside of this exceptional teapot include: Maker's mark: T. R. Tawker & Sons Town mark: Madras This exceptional teapot is the finest of its type you could hope to acquire. Note: * Each Hindu deity has a 'vahana' which translates as 'that which carries/pulls'. Due to the extensive array of the Hindu gods and goddesses, it can be determined that those displayed on this piece may include: Saraswati or Kartikya (the peacock), Vishwakarma or Indra (the elephant), Vayu (the horse) and Durga (the lion). Dimensions Length from back of handle to tip of spout 22.8cm/9" Width 14.1cm/5.6" Height 14.7cm/5.8" Weight 22.7 troy ounces/705g Maker: T. R. Tawker & Sons Date: Circa 1900 Origin: India