Salver
18th century (?) (made)
| Place of origin |
This Chinese silver salver was given to the museum in 1962 by Mrs Joan O'Malley, who provided the family history of the piece. Her uncle's great-grandfather, Colonel James McBean of the 78th Highlanders 'received it as loot after the fighting against Tippoo Sahib at Seringapatan. It is said to have been dug up from under the ground in Tippoo Sahibs tent'. Tipu Sultan's treasury contained quantities of silver wares from India, Europe and China, all of which was divided between the victorious East India Company army after the siege of the Mysore ruler's fortified city of Srirangapatnam in 1799, during which he was killed.
Object details
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | silver, chased and partly gilt, some details worked in repousse |
| Brief description | Silver salver associated with Tipu Sultan |
| Physical description | the circular dish has cusped edges, flat base covered with finely chased decoration of two sinuous dragons encircling a central flame-like motif, with some details gilt, and on a tooled ground. The cavetto is filled with deep oval depressions. The rim is decorated with alternating roundels, each containing a horse, and cartouches containing blossoming branches and either birds (including cranes) or butterflies. All these motifs are worked in repousse. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs Joan O'Malley |
| Object history | Nominal File: O'Malley, Mrs Joan Letter from Mrs O'Malley to Trenchard Cox, dated June 28 [1962]: Dear Trenchard, I have been left a silver & gold salver - the gold part being in the design of dragonlike creatures with which it is decorated. The story around it is that my uncles Great Grandfather, Colonel James McBean of the 78th Highlanders (which became the Seaforth Highlanders & now they have vanished into amalgamation) received as loot after the fighting against Tippoo Sahib at Seringapatan. It is said to have been dug up from under the ground in Tippoo Sahibs tent" [offers it to the museum] |
| Production | associated with Tipu Sultan |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This Chinese silver salver was given to the museum in 1962 by Mrs Joan O'Malley, who provided the family history of the piece. Her uncle's great-grandfather, Colonel James McBean of the 78th Highlanders 'received it as loot after the fighting against Tippoo Sahib at Seringapatan. It is said to have been dug up from under the ground in Tippoo Sahibs tent'. Tipu Sultan's treasury contained quantities of silver wares from India, Europe and China, all of which was divided between the victorious East India Company army after the siege of the Mysore ruler's fortified city of Srirangapatnam in 1799, during which he was killed. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.34-1962 |
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| Record created | May 1, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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