Vintage Indian British Colonial Sterling Silver Bottomless Box - 39.920 ozt. Hinged lid and interior bottom border suggest this was filled at one time with another, fitted box, likely made of wood or glass, in which to store goods like jewelry, tobacco, or tea leaves. Marked "H & Co Ltd" for the Hamilton & Co. Ltd. silversmiths of Calcutta, this sleek, elegant box has a scrawled indecipherable inscription on the top left corner along with the date 1928, indicating it was likely first sold as a gift that year or just prior. 

Size: 21 1/2 x 11 1/4 x 20 in. 

Weight: 39.920 ozt. 

Hamilton & Co. was established in Calcutta in 1808 by British silversmith Robert Hamilton under a license from the East India Company, quickly becoming the premier luxury jeweler and silversmithing firm in British India. Operating for over a century and a half from its landmark premises on Court House Street, the company specialized in exquisite colonial silver, ranging from grand presentation trophies and elegant tea services to unique hybrid creations like the dual-purpose “toffee pot.” The enterprise restructured as Hamilton & Co. Limited in the mid 1920s, and expanded with regional branches in cities such as Bombay, Delhi, and Simla, earning elite patronage and widespread renown for its exceptional craftsmanship. After surviving the transition through Indian independence, the historic firm finally closed its doors in 1973, leaving a celebrated legacy in Anglo-Indian decorative arts.

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