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Lot Essay
The crest is that of the Jejeebhoy family.
The service of which these plates are part was probably commissioned by Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, Bt. (1783-1859), '.. the most eminent British subject of India ..', a popular and prominent merchant and the first Indian to be knighted. Queen Victoria bestowed that honour upon him in 1842; he was created a Freeman of the City of London in 1855 and advanced to the Baronetcy in 1857. A Parsee of humble origins, he accrued his fortune through trade, undertaking many perilous voyages in his youth at the time of the Franco-British wars; by 1807 he had based himself in Bombay, establishing a shipping fleet, which quickly expanded. As his wealth grew, so did his devotion to charitable acts. He funded the first public dispensary for the poor in Bombay, which opened in 1834, followed by his joint funding, with the government, of the first public hospital, as well as numerous other acts of generosity.
Records do not indicate whether this service was commissioned by the 1st Baronet or by his immediate successor, the 3rd Baronet (1851-1898). However, it would seem likely that a service of this importance would probably have been commissioned to mark the 1st Baronet's advancement to the dignity and as such a service would have taken a considerable length of time to produce, it was most probably delivered after his death. Certainly the service is known to have been in the family only from the time of the 3rd Baronet.
The service of which these plates are part was probably commissioned by Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, Bt. (1783-1859), '.. the most eminent British subject of India ..', a popular and prominent merchant and the first Indian to be knighted. Queen Victoria bestowed that honour upon him in 1842; he was created a Freeman of the City of London in 1855 and advanced to the Baronetcy in 1857. A Parsee of humble origins, he accrued his fortune through trade, undertaking many perilous voyages in his youth at the time of the Franco-British wars; by 1807 he had based himself in Bombay, establishing a shipping fleet, which quickly expanded. As his wealth grew, so did his devotion to charitable acts. He funded the first public dispensary for the poor in Bombay, which opened in 1834, followed by his joint funding, with the government, of the first public hospital, as well as numerous other acts of generosity.
Records do not indicate whether this service was commissioned by the 1st Baronet or by his immediate successor, the 3rd Baronet (1851-1898). However, it would seem likely that a service of this importance would probably have been commissioned to mark the 1st Baronet's advancement to the dignity and as such a service would have taken a considerable length of time to produce, it was most probably delivered after his death. Certainly the service is known to have been in the family only from the time of the 3rd Baronet.