April 17, 2004
Staffordshire record: Jaws of the Raj
The Death of Munrow, depicting the attack by a tiger on a certain Mr Munroe in 1793 when he was out on a hunting party on Saugar Island in West Bengal, is one of the most dramatic and celebrated subjects to be recorded in Staffordshire earthenware. As a result it usually commands a high price when it comes up for sale at auction but few could have predicted the $130,000 (£74,285) (plus buyer’s premium) realised for the example that appeared at Sotheby’s New York last week [April 7 -- D].From the Antiques Trade Gazette; more on Staffordshire here (including useful links to sites illustrating reproductions), Sotheby's catalog entry here:
The Gentleman's Magazine of July 1793 records the "awful, horrid, and lamentable accident" that befell a certain Mr. Munro. He and his party had paused to take a meal while hunting on Saugor Island in West Bengal when the unfortunate Mr. Munro was attacked and carried off by "an immense royal tiger". Rescued by his friends, he died of his wounds twenty-four hours later. The incident caused a stir not only in England but in India as well. Tipu Sultan of Mysore derived particular pleasure from the young man's misfortune and commissioned his mechanical toy, the Man-Tyger-Organ. Housed within a life-size carved and painted wood model of a tiger attacking a European was a mechanical pipe organ which, when cranked, emitted the growls of the tiger and the screams of its victim. Tipu's Tiger was seized following his death at the Battle of Seringapatum in 1799 and transported to London where it was put on exhibition at East India House in 1808, Tipu Sultan and his toy continuing to excite the popular imagination for decades and certainly serving as inspiration for the Staffordshire potter.
Posted by David on April 17, 2004 10:53 AM
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The "Man-Tyger-Organ", aka "Tippoo's Tiger":
It contains a pipe and bellows mechanism, operated by turning a handle on the tiger's left side. Air is pumped into the bellows within its body and expelled as a wailing shriek and a loud roar. The victim's hand moves up and down and tunes may be played on the button keys in the tiger's side. It has been suggested that a Frenchman at Tipu's court may have assisted in assembling the mechanism. The internal mechanism has been much restored, and may originally have been operated by pulling cords attached to the crank shaft inside.
More about Munrow here:
"The human mind cannot form an idea of the scene. It turned my very soul within me ….The beast was about four and a half feet high and nine long. His head appeared as large as an ox's, his eyes darting fire, and his roar when he first seized his prey will never be out of my recollection" wrote an eye witness from the ship 'Shaw Ardaseer' off Saugur Island.
This is still a danger in India and other countries with big cats (as in the Colorado foothills: mountain lions roam our neighborhood and snack on deer occasionally), but you can take steps to avoid Munrow's terrible fate:
Seidensticker and Lumpkin (1992) stress the importance of maintaining eye contact with a threatening cat, as well as taking care not to bend or squat. In the Sundarbans, the use of face masks, worn on the back of the head, has proved a deterrent to tigers, who usually attack from behind. Large eye spots on the back of a cap may also be effective.
Living in Providence, Rhode Island is also quite effective, I hear...
Posted by: Peter Shriner on April 17, 2004 6:42 PM
Living in Providence, Rhode Island is also quite effective, I hear...
So far, so good.
Posted by: David on April 17, 2004 7:04 PM
Well, you never know: they might be closer than you think.
Better keep the old pith helmet and oliphaunt ready for lions, tigers (heads up, Bill!), and bears.
Posted by: Peter Shriner on April 18, 2004 1:04 AM
A friend did just sight a coyote right in the center of Providence, below a tiny park a few blocks from Brown. . . .
Posted by: David on April 18, 2004 1:15 PM
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