This set of items comprises a silver inkwell with tray, a farewell address, and a framed photograph. The set was presented to John Panton Gubbins, a judge, by the citizens of Delhi in 1852 (then under the de facto control of the British East India Company) on the occasion of his retirement after twenty-seven years of service. According to the address, he was a well-respected member of the community, interested in Indian culture and fluent in Urdu and Persian.The inkwell and tray feature scrolling floral decoration typical of Kutch-style silver from the mid- 19th century, the tray resting on paw-like feet. The inkwell includes an Urdu dedication to Gubbins in nasta’liq script. On the underside is a similar dedication in English. The folio is also in Urdu, written in nasta’liq, and comprises the text of the farewell address followed by pages containing the signatures and seals of important residents of Delhi. Inscribed silver objects and farewell addresses were not uncommon retirement gifts for important individuals in India. This example is particularly notable in that it is one of the earliest known farewell addresses written in Urdu.
