Black Judge Enamelware Container

Dimensions: 13cm diameter, 13cm high.
Code: METAL 7221

Black, “Judge”, enamelware container with lid from the 1930s/40s, sourced in Chettinad, Tamil Nadu, South India. The lid is the same black underneath, and the interior of the base is white enamel. The British brand of Judge Cookware was manufactured by Ernest Stevens Limited in Cradley Heath, Staffordshire in England. The company was founded in 1890 and closed in the 1960s. The original brand sticker remains, both on the side and on the base with the illustrated logo of a judge, showing the piece has hardly been used.

The Chettiars were a community of Indians (who originated from the Chettinad region) that lived and worked in Burma during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of this community were very successful traders and maintained their family mansions in Chettinad to celebrate festivals and weddings. Often these splendid homes were beautifully decorated and filled with fine materials like Italian marble, Venetian chandeliers, Burmese lacquerware and enamelware from Sweden, Czechoslovakia and Britain. Etched onto the rear side is the Tamil name of the owner. This etching was added later because the Chettiars typically belonged to large joint families, with each branch of the family owning very similar objects of their diasporic heritage. It was important to etch their belongings, valuable or utilitarian, with initials clearly indicating ownership.

This container is in excellent, unused, vintage condition with no chips to the enamel.