Casgliadau Arlein

Shallow circular milk jug, pale lemon silver gilt, standing on a low foot rim, curving to straight sides and to a low neck, rectangular handle, grooved and beaded, short straight spout; the surfaces have a matt frosted texture with bright machine engraving in the Anglo-Japanese style with brocade ornament, a bird, bamboo, ferns, flowers and fans.

Japanese-influenced designs became very fashionable from the 1870s and firms like Elkington made them available to a broad consumer market. Elkington & Co patented the electroplating process in 1840, which revolutionised the silver plate industry.