Here today for your consideration we have this fantastic Indian colonial silver presentation trowel, made by Cooke & Kelvey of Calcutta, c-1946. The trowel was presented by Gaya Sugar Mills Ltd to H. E. Sir Thomas George Rutherford Governor of Bihar on the occasion of his laying the foundation stone of the sugar mills at Ram Chang Nagar on the 28th of January 1946. The body features beautifully designed brightwork with the handle of high detail, with the trowel of exceptional quality and gauge throughout. Condition is fair used, with the handle quite weathered and fractured and with some detail losses. The trowel is pinned to the handle and whilst this connection is stable, it does pivot slightly in part due to the contraction of the handle material. The silver has a few bumps to the edges and some minor distortion and may benefit from a dedicated clean. The engraving is of nice quality, with the trowel hallmarked to the base. A charming presentation trowel of large proportions from a quality mid 20th century Indian silversmith.
The trowel measures 34cm long and 9.5cm wide. It has an impressive total weight of 321gms, with the silver accounting for around 247gms of this.
