An early 20^th century Indian unmarked silver presentation scroll casket, Bombay dated 1920

Raj period, the casket of rectangular form with incurved sides, the hinged centrally rising lid with push button release, all surmounted by a detachable elephant finial. The casket front with two panels depicting elephants working in teak logging in Lampang province, loading the logs onto carts and crossing a river. These panels centred with applied initials in cypher RWH. The reverse with applied rectangular panel of an Indian colonial building, flanked either side by shoots of maze. The sides with laurel wreaths engraved H. Velvet lined interior. The ebonised wooden stand with a pinned plaque engraved with a presentation inscription reading “Presented to R.W. Harter Esqr by the staff of messrs Wallace and Coy, the Bombay Coy Ltd & the B.B.T Corpn Ltd on his departure from Indian on 13^th March 1920”.

Stand length – 36.7 cm / 14.45 inches

Casket length – 29.3 cm / 11.5 inches

Casket weight – 1680 grams / 54.01 ozt

The Wallace brothers were the six sons of Edinburgh architect Lewis Wallace. In varying combinations, the brothers established themselves as one of the leading nineteenth century East India merchants, trading in cotton, tea, coffee and other commodities. Through their investments in Burma, they became the world's leading exporter of teak, as the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation.

Rupert William Harter (1870 – 1935), a merchant, departed England on the 21^st November 1914 for Bombay, with his wife Dorothy and son, Robert. Rupert the son of the late William James Harter (1836-1905), also a merchant. He lived at the latter part of his life in The Stone, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, where he died on the 7^th December 1935. His eldest son Robert James Alexander Harter (1910-1970) married Elizabeth (1910-75), eldest daughter of William Esplin Stewart (1882-1954) of Nightingales, Chalfont St Giles on 28^th March 1936. (The Times 11 Mar. 1936.) Robert Harter later became the owner of Stone Dean, Jordans, 1952 to 1971.