Anglo-Indian silver covered beaker by Hamilton & Co, $3250 (£2700) at Fine Estate.
The 7½in (18cm) covered beaker marked for Hamilton & Co. Jewellers, Calcutta was estimated at $400-600 but hammered for $3250 (£2700).
Unlike the later ‘kutch’ silver that was made by Indian craftsmen often for export to the West, Anglo-Indian silver was typically made by English and Scottish silversmiths who relocated to the subcontinent.
In search of fortune and adventure in the days of the Raj, they set up workshops and shops in the major cities and trading posts of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.
Most of their output followed forms and designs seen in Britain with the occasional India twist.
Hamilton & Co was founded in 1808 by Robert Hamilton at 5 Tank Square in Calcutta (modern day Kolkata) under licence from the East India Company.
The elephant mark to this beaker is one used from 1860-1912.
The engraved crest of a starburst above a scimitar with the motto
Ever Loyal suggests it was made for a member of the British Raj.
Although catalogued as a cocktail shaker, it is more likely simply a covered beaker - one of the many hybrid culinary objects made to meet the requirements of life in the subcontinent where keeping flies and heat at bay were central pastimes.
