A rare mid-19th century Indian silver and enamel wine ewer, Kashmir circa 1860 Of tapering cylindrical form upon a short cylindrical foot, the upcurved spout opposite a wrought and shaped handle leading to a hinged domed lid with a recessed central conical section surmounted by a knop finial. The body with arabesques and foliate forms, above a rosette and scroll band, all infilled with opaque black enamel. The upper bands with an enamelled inscription in Persian possibly reading: اءے سکندر جام جم است بنکر - جام شراب دارد - تابرنو عرضہ دارم احوال ملک دارا (cup of wine). Engraved numerals underneath ૦’۸۱. Height – 18.7 cm / 7.25 inches Weight – 679 grams / 21.83 ozt This form is especially rare in silver, normally in brass or copper, and described as a teapot chadan in Charles-Eugène De Ujfalvy, (1883), Les Cuivres Anciens Du Cachmire, (The Old Brass of Kashmir), Editeur, Ernest Leroux, Plate 5. “Occasionally, silver made in Kashmir was enamelled in the same manner as the locally made copper wares. (…) The bright colours used in the enamel work were intended to imitate the precious or semi-precious stones that were sometimes used on more expensive pieces.” Wilkinson, W., (1999)., Indian Silver 1858-1947: Decorative Silver from the Indian Sub-Continent and Burma Made by Local Craftsmen in Western Forms. London, Wynyard R T Wilkinson, P. 106.