{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O475239"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O475239/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2020MU4016/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2020MU4016/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2020MU4016","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O475239/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O475239","accessionNumber":"454-1905","objectType":"Ewer","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"","physicalDescription":"Ewer or holy-water jug, of hammered copper and brass, made in a Tibetan monastery, and used for filling various altar-vessels. The copper portions are the bulbous body, the straight neck, and the mitre-shaped top-piece with long projecting lip. The brass portions are the rim, handle, suspensory ring with quatrefoil boss (replacing the usual side handle), and the spreading foot. The ewer shape is often referred to as a 'monk's cap' because the rim resembles the outline of the 'black crown' - the ceremonial hat and primary spiritual symbol of the Karmapa lineage, the head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"brass (alloy)","id":"AAT10946"},{"text":"copper","id":"AAT11020"}],"techniques":[{"text":"hammering","id":"AAT54098"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Copper and brass, hammered","categories":[{"text":"Metalwork","id":"THES48920"},{"text":"Containers","id":"THES48972"},{"text":"Religion","id":"THES48900"},{"text":"Ceremonial objects","id":"THES48981"},{"text":"Buddhism","id":"THES48984"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2020MU4016"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"001","id":"THES365545"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Ewer","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Changlo","id":"THES415342"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"18th century","earliest":"1700-01-01","latest":"1799-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"44.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"29.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Measurements converted from Central Inventory aquisitions register.","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"ལྕང་ལོ་","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"Changlo","transliteration":"lcang-lo","type":"","note":"The Tibetan inscription on the handle refers to lcang-lo (Changlo). This may possibly relate to its place of origin - Changlo, a village near Gyantse in Tibet, or Changlo Manor, a site commandeered by British forces during the Younghusband military campaign in Tibet of 1903-04."}],"objectHistory":"<u>Provenance</u>: Acquired by British troops during the 1903-04 military campaign in Tibet, possibly from Changlo Manor. Sold at auction by J.C. Stevens, 31 May 1905, purchased by George Fabian Lawrence; Sold to the V&A by Lawrence, 5 June 1905.\r\n\r\nThe ewer was previously thought to be associated with Lhasa, but the inscription suggests it originates from Changlo, Tibet. According to the accession registers, the object was acquired during the British Mission to Lhasa, which refers to the British military campaign in Tibet led by Colonel Francis Younghusband from 1903 to 1904. This mission was sanctioned by Lord Curzon, the Viceroy General of India, due to concerns over Russian influence in Tibet. While there was no intention to annex Tibet into the British Empire, the primary official aim of the mission was to compel the Tibetans to cease their suspected dealings with Russia and to establish a dominant British presence in the region. \n\nAfter capturing key strategic locations in Tibet, such as Gyantse, British officers and soldiers removed and acquired objects from deserted monasteries and homes. Looting also occurred following skirmishes with Tibetan forces, such as the ‘Battle of Guru,’ where many battle trophies were taken from the bodies of deceased or surrendered Tibetan soldiers. These items included jewelry, ga'u (box amulet), weapons, and clothing. It is important to note that some Tibetan objects were acquired legally through purchases or gift exchanges, particularly by Colonel Lawrence A. Waddell (1854-1938), who served as the official collector for the mission. He had a budget allocation of ten thousand rupees from the government for collecting Tibetan artifacts and manuscripts for British institutions. However, as highlighted by Professor Clare Harris (The Museum on the Roof of the World: Art, Politics, and the Representation of Tibet, 2012), the distinctions between legitimate and illegitimate methods of acquisition during the Younghusband Mission were often blurred.\n\nConsequently, it is possible that this ewer was looted from Changlo Manor in Tibet, the summer estate of the Changlo aristocratic family (also known as Changlochen), which was owned at the time by Tashi Dorje Phunkhang, the governor of Gyantse. The Changlo Manor served as the 'mission headquarters' for Colonel Younghusband and his troops. In Waddell's primary account of the mission, he notes that the private family chapel was repurposed as a mess for the regimental officers, and he managed to 'secure' 450 volumes of sacred texts for the British Museum. Therefore, it is highly likely that this ewer was also acquired from the private chapel of the Changlo Manor.\r\n\r\nAccession register entry: ‘Holy-water jug of hammered copper and brass, made in a Lāmaist monastery, and used for filling various altar vessels. The copper portions are the bulbous body, the straight neck, and the mitre-shaped top-piece with long projecting lip. The brass portions are the rim, handle, suspensory ring with quatrefoil boss (replacing the usual side-handle), and the spreading foot. Tibetan (Lhāsa), 18th century. Acquired during the British mission to Lhāsa in 1904’.\r\n\r\nThe acquisition information for this object has been updated following provenance research conducted during the AHRC-funded 'Reanimating Tibetan Heritage' project (2024-2026). ","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Ewer or holy-water jug in the shape of Tibetan 'monk's cap', copper and brass, hammered, possibly Changlo or Changlo Manor, Tibet, 18th century","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Harris, Clare. The Museum on the Roof of the World: Art, Politics, and the Representation of Tibet. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2012."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Allen, Charles. Duel in the snows: The true story of the Younghusband mission to Lhasa. London: John Murray, 2004."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Waddell, L. Austine. Lhasa and Its Mysteries: With a Record of the Expedition of 1903–1904. London: John Murray, 1905."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"J.C Stevens. <i>Persian, Thibetan and African Curios, Coins and Medals, Prints and Drawings, and Curios from All Parts of the World</i>. London: Pettitt & Cox, 30-31 May 1905 [Auction catalogue]. Lot 424, p. 24."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["454-1905"],"accessionNumberNum":"454","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1905,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-08","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-25","availableToBook":true}}