Lunch hosted by Chikyap Khenpo

Lunch hosted by Chikyap Khenpo

1998.131.413 (Print black & white)

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Key Information

Photographer

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Collection

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Date of Photo

October 27th 1936

Named Person

Sidney Dagg, Evan Nepean, Dr Morgan, Sir Basil Gould, Chikyak Khenpo Lobsang Geleg

Region

Lhasa > Chikyak Khenpo

Accession number

1998.131.413

Image Dimensions

123 x 178

The British Mission lunch with the Lord Chamberlain, or Chikyak Khenpo. Seated from left to right: Dagg, (possibly Norbhu concealed), Nepean, the Lord Chamberlain, Morgan, Gould. The table is full of dishes, including stewed peaches, Mongolian ham and tinned herring, which were appetizers to the main course to follow. Servants can be seen in the background

Further Information

Photographic Process

Print gelatin silver

Date Acquired

Donated 1994

Donated by

Faith Spencer Chapman

Expedition

British Diplomatic Mission to Lhasa 1936-37

Photo also owned by

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Previous Catologue Number

CE.28 [view film roll]

Previous Pitt Rivers Museum Number

SC.T.2.413

Other Information

Notes on print/mount - The back of the print is covered with crop and reproduction instructions. The reference 'C-E-28' has been written on the back in pencil, as has the caption "We lunch with the Lord Chamberlain (L to R) Dagg, Nepean, our host, Morgan, Gould". A piece of thin paper has been stuck to the back of the print and folded over the front. Usually this would be used to transfer cropping instructions from front to back but it has not been used in this case [MS 24/03/2006]

Manual Catalogues -


Manual Catalogues - Caption in Chapman's hand-written list of negatives made whilst on the Mission to Lhasa, 1936-7 [See PRM Manuscripts Collection]: ' Lunch with Chikup Kempo [ sic ]'; PRM Manuscripts Collection: ‘List of Tibetan Prints and Negatives’ - Book 3: ‘26/1 - Lunch with the High Chamberlain (L to R) Dagg, Nepean, High Chamberlain, Morgan, Gould’ [MS 24/03/2006]

Research publication - Clare Harris and Tsering Shakya (eds.), 'Seeing Lhasa: British Depictions of the Tibetan Capital 1936-1947', Chicago: Serindia Publications, 2003, p.52.

Exhibition - This image appeared in the 2003 Temporary Exhibition at the Pitt Rivers "Seeing Lhasa: British Depictions of the Tibetan Capital 1936-1947"

Other Information - Setting


Other Information - Setting: The British Mission lunch with the Chigyab Khembo (Lord Chamberlain of Tibet). From left to right: Dagg, Nepean, the Lord Chamberlain, Morgan, Gould. Tibetan lunches involved huge quantities of food and chang (beer) and often included a dozen courses. The British tried to hold their own with traditional British luncheons but they often appeared (to Mission members) quite meagre in comparison. There was an order of precedence for the acceptance of invitations to dine and the British could not accept any invitation until they had first dined with the shappe (members of the Tibetan Cabinet). At this particular meal the delicacies included sea slugs, sharks fin and Jacobs crackers. Members of the Mission are shown eating with chopsticks as was the practice of high-ranking Tibetans. [CH 2003]

Other Information - Related Images


Other Information - Related Images: Images prefixed with 'CE' comprise a group of negatives containing images of crowds coming to watch football match, hill monastery, views of Sera and plain, big Buddha painting and small Buddha carvings, lunch with Chikyak Kempo, R. S Norbhu, Chinese wireless and scenes around Chikyap Khenpo’s house, roofs of Cathedral [Jokhang]. They all seem to have been taken October 20th - 27th 1936 [MS 24/03/2006]

Other Information - Setting


Other Information - Setting: Mission Diary entry for October 27th 1936: "We all lunched with the Chikyab Khempo, a mild and courteous white haired monk who is the head of the Ecclesiastical party. (A copy of the bill of fare is attached to this diary). // After this party several of us rode down to the bazaar with the ostensible intention of photographing the roofs of Lhasa. Actually our wireless experts wanted to see the Chinese aerial so that they could guess on what wave-length it worked" ['Lhasa Mission, 1936: Diary of Events', Part VIII p.3, written by Chapman] [MS 24/03/2006]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Lunch hosted by Chikyap Khenpo" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1998.131.413.html>.

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