METALWORK
0043 In May of 1861 the Derby Mercury and other papers reported that the 23rd company of Royal Engineers, returned from China, had marched into Chatham garrison and ‘Among the items of interest brought home’ were ‘the emperor’s throne, taken from the Summer Palace before it was burnt, and also a valuable bell from one of the joss-houses. The throne will be deposited in the officers’ new mess room’. (29 May 1861, Derby Mercury, p. 3.)
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0120 Robert Swinhoe, who acted as interpreter during the 1860 invasion, stated in his memoir of the campaign that British officers presented General Sir James Hope Grant with a gold ewer after he distributed to them his share of the spoils: ‘Sir Hope Grant very generously made his share over to the men, and as a token of respect, the officers presented him with a gold claret jug richly chased, one of the handsomest pieces of the booty.’ (R. Swinhoe, Narrative of the North China Campaign of 1860, London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1861, p. 312. Available at www.archive.org. See also J. Bishop, 9 February 1976, ‘Plundering of Peking Palace Blemished British History,’ Milwaukee Sentinel, p. 14. Available at https://news.google.com.)
Today, the ewer is in the collection of the National Museums of Scotland. (See J. Wilkinson and N. Pearce, Harmony & Contrast: A Journey Through East Asian Art, Edinburgh: National Museums of Scotland, 1996, p. 9.)
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0003 In June 1861, the Duchess of Marlborough presented to the Oxford City Rifle Corps, on behalf of the ladies of Oxford, a complete set of musical instruments, among them a pair of cymbals ‘from the Summer Palace’ donated by the Captain, the Hon. Sydney Annesley. (11 June 1861, Morning Post, p. 6.)
0003 1861 年 六月，馬爾堡 的 女公爵 代表 牛津 的 女士们 向 牛津 市 来复枪 兵团 展 示 了 一 套 完 整 的 乐器。其中 有 一 對 鈸 "出自 圆明园"由 上尉 子爵 大尉 子爵 Sydney Annesley 捐赠。(一八六一 年 六月 十一 日, Morning Post, 第六页) [Translation by Ge Dongsheng with Kate Hill]
张小蕾和凯特 · 希尔（Kate Hill）
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0082 The following entry, dated 26 June 1861, appears in the British Museum Register:
First page of entry:
“6-29 1 Chinese memorandum book being a band of paper in twelve folds with red paper interior, enclosed in a case covered with blue cloth + with a red label. 2 7/12 x 1 1/2.
2 Bronze three legged vessel with two handles [sketch of censer] stamped with seal character [sketch of seal] at the bottom being the date of the Seuentih Period. H 4 in. D. 7 ½ in.
[a partly illegible note in the left margin says ‘... Hsuan-te’
3. two door plates with two holes in each taken from the doors of the Palace of Yuen-Ming-Yuen.” [sketch of one hinge with length given as 14 in.]
2nd page of entry, under ‘How acquired’:
‘Presented by Dr. Daniels ? Castlemore Ireland.’
and under ‘Observations’:
‘2 +3 From the Yuen-Ming-Yuen Palace Peking’
The tripod censer is still in the British Museum collection today (inv. no. 1861,0629.2.), as are the hinges (inv. no. 1861,0629.3). See British Museum, London, Book of Presents, 27 July 1861 and intake register, June 1861.
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0109 In the catalogue for an 1862 loan exhibition at the South Kensington Museum appeared the following entry:
No. 4,692. Presentation gun, the stock richly inlaid with scrolls, and fruit, and massive silver trophies; the barrel is plated, and inlaid with military weapons in silver and gold. Length, 4 ft. 8 1/4 in. Eighteenth century. This gun was recently brought from China, being part of the spoil from the Summer Palace. JOHN LINTON, ESQ. (J.C. Robinson, ed. Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Works of Art of the Medieval, Renaissance, and More Recent Periods, on Loan at the South Kensington Museum, June 1862. Revised edition (January 1863), London: George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode, pp. 366–7.)
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0030 An Exhibition of Fine Arts at Brighton, Sussex County, opened on 24 June 1867 in the Brighton Pavilion. Messrs Hunt & Roskell, lent among other items a ‘Mortuary Vase of pure gold, representing a tomb, containing long tresses of hair. From the Summer Palace’. (Southern Counties’ Association Catalogue of Works of Art and Industry, Exhibited at the New Assembly Rooms, Royal Pavilion Grounds. Brighton, 1867, p. 84) This is likely the same reliquary purchased from the firm in 1876 by the British Museum (inv. no. 1876,0313.1).
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0144 In 1870, Messrs. Hepper & Sons advertised for sale on May 11th at the East Parade Auction Rooms in Leeds, a ‘valuable property’, which included a ‘Chinese ormolu idol, from the Summer Palace, Pekin...’ (7 May 1870, Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, p. 2.) 26 February 2016.
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0152 When the estate of Mr. George A. Linsley was auctioned in Leeds in 1871, among the lots were ‘four unique Oriental vases, enriched with silver tracings, and taken from the Summer Palace, Pekin...’ (12 October 1871, Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, p. 1.) [editor: the medium here is unclear, but the vases are possibly bronze inalid with silver.] 26 February 2016.
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0156 In 1873 the Hampshire Advertiser contained a notice for the following sale:
‘valuable, unique and rare collection of china, bronzes, curios, and articles of vertu, the property of an officer leaving England (including a few bronzes from the Summer Palace, Pekin; specimens of china, principally from Nankin; Japanese curiosities—one taken from the Emperor’s private apartments in the Summer Palace), at the Auction Mart, Southampton, by Mr. D.G. Douglas at 1.’ (8 March 1873, Hampshire Advertiser, p. 5.) 26 February 2016.
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0157 A review of the Aldershot Soldiers’ Industrial Exhibition, mounted in 1873, noted:
‘The Royal Scots were the regiment to whom was entrusted the task of burning the Summer Palace of Pekin, and in their section are some beautiful specimens of enamel vases, jade, ivory filagree work, &c., found there by them, and constituting part of the “loot” sold by auction.’ (9 July 1873, London Daily News, p. 3.) 26 February 2016.
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The Aldershot Military Gazette reported that among these items was a ‘solid gold jug, from the Summer Palace, Pekin; several cups, bowls, &c., from the same palace’. (26 July 1873, Aldershot Military Gazette, p. 4.) The first item is possibly the gold ewer presented to Sir James Hope Grant by his men. [0157 listed also under enamels, jade and ivory] 26 February 2016.
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0159 A British report on the Empress Eugénie’s ‘Chinese museum’ at Fontainebleau detailed some sacred artefacts:
‘In this Museum are nearly the whole contents of the Buddhist temple of the Summer Palace. There are two splendid bronze dragons, the ornaments of the Buddhist altar—two vases, a chandelier, a centre-piece, and a lamp for burning perfume, all in enamel, the tabernacle or pagoda containing a small statue of Buddha, the pagoda being a miniature of one of the principal monuments of Pekin, and made in highly worked brass, encrusted with precious stones, and some splendid hangings belonging to the temples, silk embroidered with very curious figures. The collection is nominally valued at 20,000l., but its actual worth is probably four times that sum.’ (3 January 1874, The Graphic, p. 5.) [0159 also listed under enamels and textiles.] 26 February 2016.
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0163 The 1875 Yorkshire Exhibition at Leeds included among the exhibits an ‘ancient bronze vase from Summer Palace, Pekin’. (14 June 1875, York Herald, p. 6.) 26 February 2016.
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0246 In 1896 the Hastings and St Leonards Observer recorded the annual meeting of the Hastings Museum Association. According to their report, the Hon. Secretary, Mr. W.V. Crake, B.A., noted that in 1895 ‘a remarkable collection of enamels, bronzes, and State robes from the Summer Palace at Pekin was lent by Mr. Ashby, C.B.’ for display in the museum. (22 August 1896, Hastings and St Leonards Observer, p. 6.) [0246 also listed under enamels and textiles] 26 February 2016.
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All material on this page, unless otherwise credited, was produced by Kate Hill, who asserts her authorship of the work. © Kate Hill, Yuanmingyuan Artefact Index, 2016.