Description
A late Victorian silver and enamel presentation cigar case, celebrating the visit to Europe of King Chulalongkorn of Siam,
by William Neale, Birmingham 1897,
rounded rectangular form, the front enamelled with a scene of the steam yacht Maha Chakri, the reverse with an enamelled portrait of king Chulalongkorn, and engraved with facsimile signatures, in a fitted case, retailed by J. W. Benson Ltd, 25 Old Bond Street, length 12cm, approx. weight 5.5oz.
The Siamese royal yacht Maha Chakri & the Visit to Europe in 1897
Like his European counterparts in the second half of the nineteenth century, King Chulalongkorn of Siam (1868-1910) was enamoured with the idea of possessing his own steam yacht, so much so that he ordered three in succession from various British shipyards. The third of them was named Maha Chakri (or, more correctly, Maha Chakrkri) and was designed and built by Ramage & Ferguson at Leith in 1892. An enormous twin-screw steel vessel sporting two masts and carrying a schooner rig, she was registered at 2,229 tons gross (1,232 net & 2,092 Thames) and measured 283 feet in length with a 40 foot beam. With her classic 'ram' bow and lofty superstructure, she more resembled a ship-of-War than a pleasure yacht and attracted considerable attention wherever she went, particularly when steaming at full speed thanks to her powerful 6-cylinder triple-expansion engines. Eventually superseded by another yacht of the same name in 1918, the fate of the first Maha Chakri is unknown.
King Chulalongkorn was both an innovator as well as a moderniser and was determined to learn from the experience of fellow monarchs and Heads of State. To this end, he made a prolonged visit to Europe in the summer and autumn of 1897 during which the Maha Chakri anchored briefly in Spithead. After being formally greeted there by H.R.H. the Duke of York (later King George V), the Siamese King was then conveyed to Osborne House, Isle of Wight, where he paid his respects to the elderly Queen Victoria.
It is likely that the cigarette case offered in this lot is one of a number commissioned at the King's expense and presented as mementoes to individuals who had rendered royal service during this historic European visit.
We would like to thank Michael Naxton for his assistance in the cataloguing of this lot.