Dora Tan
Head of Sale, Specialist
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PROPERTY FROM THE NOBLE SILVER COLLECTION
Lot 330
A SILVER TEA SET LOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), DATED 1903
22 March 2022, 09:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$17,812.50 inc. premium
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Mark Rasmussen
International Director
A SILVER TEA SET
LOWER BURMA (MYANMAR), DATED 1903
The salver's plain central medallion bears the engraved names of 28 flotilla commanders and an English inscription: "Presented to F.C. Kennedy C.I.E. General Manager Irrawaddy Flotilla Co. Ltd. As a mark of esteem by the Commanders of the Flotilla Co. Ltd."
Creamer: 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm) high;
Coffee pot: 9 1/2 in. (24 cm) high;
Salver: 23 1/4 in. (59 cm) long; 15 in. (38 cm) wide;
234 1/2 troy oz (7,300 grams) approximate combined weight
The salver's plain central medallion bears the engraved names of 28 flotilla commanders and an English inscription: "Presented to F.C. Kennedy C.I.E. General Manager Irrawaddy Flotilla Co. Ltd. As a mark of esteem by the Commanders of the Flotilla Co. Ltd."
Creamer: 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm) high;
Coffee pot: 9 1/2 in. (24 cm) high;
Salver: 23 1/4 in. (59 cm) long; 15 in. (38 cm) wide;
234 1/2 troy oz (7,300 grams) approximate combined weight
Footnotes
Blending European form and function with Burmese subjects and motifs, this commemorative silver tea set exemplifies the hybridity of Burmese silver when produced for foreign tourists and expatriates. The salver bears the names of at least two British commanders who were intimately involved in the defeat of the last king of Burma, and, with him, the abolishment of silver sumptuary laws, thus enabling Burmese silversmiths to produce such works for a broader clientele. Moreover, the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, whose members commissioned this tea service, grew to become the 'greatest river fleet on earth'. At its peak in the 1920s, it comprised over 600 vessels carrying some 9 million passengers a year along the Irrawaddy River, some of whom would have represented this international market for Burmese silver.
The set contains all the components of a formal English tea service: scalloped rectangular salver, tea pot, coffee pot, creamer, and sugar bowl. However, its ornamentation is inspired by the Burmese Ramayana dance-drama, as dancers in traditional attire form the handles and finials of each vessel, and vignettes embellish their surfaces. The spout of each pouring vessel takes the form of a mythical goose (hamsa). The salver's scalloped edge displays further scenes from the Ramayana, all accomplished with confident figural modelling and chased details.
The names of 28 commanders of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company are engraved in the center of the salver. Some of these commanders participated in the Third Anglo-Burmese War (7-29 November 1885). J. J. Cooper led the PS Ashley paddle steamer and delivered the British military ultimatum to King Thibaw in Mandalay. Captain W. N. Beckett commanded the PS Palow and captured Minhla Fort on 17 November 1885, thereby and ensuring the defeat of the Konbaung dynasty (1752-1885).
Published:
Owens, Burmese Silver Art, pp.112-5, no.S137, fig.3.136.