Lot 615
RARE CARVED ANGLO-INDIAN HARDWOOD ARMCHAIR, FOR THE 1911 DELHI DURBAR
DATE 1911
Auction: Day Two: 19 May 2022 | From 11:00
Description
the arched back panel carved with ribbons and swags inscribed 'DELHI 1911' and 'GRI', with a silver mounted presentation plaque inscribed 'PRESENTED TO MR G MCLEAN ON THE OCCASION OF HIS MARRIAGE BY HIS BROTHER ENGINEERS OF THE R.M.S. MANTUA 1913', and surmounted by carved crown finials, above a wide padded seat flanked by open arms ending in carved lion head terminals, raised on acanthus carved scroll legs joined by a turned H stretcher
Dimensions
73cm wide, 107cm high, 50cm deep
Footnote
Note: The 1911 Delhi Durbar was held at Coronation Park in Delhi to commemorate the coronation of George V and Queen Mary, and to proclaim the royals as Emperor and Empress of India. Official events, which included a large military parade and an award ceremony, lasted from 7th to 16th December, with the proclamation taking place on 12th. The Durbar was attended by almost every prince and nobleman in India, as well as thousands of landed gentry and people of note. A coloured feature film of the event was released in February 1912, and many paintings, photographs, postcards, press cuttings and memoirs about the festivities documented the occasion.
The Mantua was launched as a commercial liner in 1909, used to transport passengers and mail to India and China (which may explain the plaque's reference to R.M.S Mantua). Following the outbreak of World War I, she became H.M.S Mantua, and was commissioned into the Royal Navy. In 1918 Mantua sailed to Freetown, Sierra Leone. Some of her passengers had influenza, and as a result they may have spread the pandemic to the African continent. She returned to civilian service in 1920, before being scrapped in 1935.