BEFORE the Indian Mutiny of 1857—otherwise known as the First War of Indian Independence—silver items made in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay (modern-day Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai) were produced in British styles by European firms. After 1858, however, new hybrid styles evolved in other places that blended European forms with Indian decoration. In some ways, this is a parallel to the Chinese export porcelain industry of the 18th century.
There were distinct regional stylistic differences, although some successful patterns from one area might be adopted by another. Kashmir, for instance, drew on its copper-working traditions, but Bombay adopted motifs and patterns not only from other southern centres, such as
