Liscum Bowl

Liscum Bowl, circa 1909

The Liscum Bowl is a sterling silver punch bowl set made in 1902 from bullion rescued from a Qing dynasty mint by the U.S. Army's 9th Infantry Regiment during the Boxer Rebellion in China. The silver was presented to the regiment by Chinese General Li Hung Chang in gratitude for the Americans' assistance. The bowl was dedicated to Colonel Emerson H. Liscum, the regiment's commander killed at the Battle of Tientsin on 13 July 1900.[1]

The punch bowl is one of the largest of its kind, and is described by the U.S. Army as "one of the foremost trophies of any American regiment." It is on display in the 2nd Infantry Division Museum in Korea,[2] where it is the most valuable item in the collection, worth upwards of $2.5 million.[3]

Details

Liscum Bowl set on display, 2nd Infantry Division Museum, Korea

The silver set includes the bowl, the ladle, the tray and several dozen cups, and stylistically is of the late Meiji period.[4] The set weighs 90 pounds (41 kg) and the bowl is 2'4" in diameter, 3'3" from handle to handle and is 1'9" in height. It has a capacity of approximately 14 gallons. The ladle is 2'1½" in length. The four handles, as suggested by the regiment, consist of four Imperial dragons peering over the edge of the bowl.

A report on the bowl in a 1920 issue of The Jewelers' Circular journal described it as such: "The chasing and repoussé work in intertwined dragons, the same forming the four handles on the outside of the big bowl, on the immense heavy ladle, which holds nearly a pint, are said to be excellent examples of the best work of this kind in Japan."[5]

The bowl is engraved with the name of Colonel Liscum and the date of his death, which established a tradition. The silver cups bear the engraved names of all officers who served with the Regiment in Asia between 1900 and the Korean War.[2]

History

Main article: Boxer Rebellion

The United States was part of the Eight-Nation Alliance formed in response to the violent anti-foreign and anti-Christian uprising that took place in China between 1899 and 1901, and was known as the Boxer Rebellion, Boxer Uprising or Yihequan Movement. The United States, Great Britain, France, Imperial Russia and Imperial Japan were among the nations that sent armies to China to protect their citizens and merchants from attacks by the "Boxers."

The 9th Infantry Regiment adopted Liscum's last words, "Keep up the fire," as its motto.

Several thousand members of the 9th Infantry Regiment, along with a few hundred Marines, were the only Americans deployed to China. Colonel Emerson H. Liscum was the commander of the 9th Infantry Regiment. During the Battle of Tientsin to retake control of the city on 13 and 14 July 1900, Liscum was mortally wounded by a Boxer sniper while the regiment attacked the city walls. Liscum directed his forces to "Keep up the fire!" on the walls of the city before he died.[2] Liscum's famous last words were adopted as the regiment's official motto.[5]

After the fall of the city, it was divided into different districts controlled by the members of the Eight-Nation Alliance. With parts of the city still burning, looting and "official seizures" of property and valuables were occurring. On 15 July, two days after the fall of Tientsin, a government mint full of silver bullion and coins was discovered in a burned building in the American sector. The mint was immediately placed under guard by the 9th Infantry, and its contents were estimated at $376,000 (equivalent to approximately $10,712,992 in 2016 dollars). However, when the bullion was removed from the mint, the heat from the fire had caused several of the bars to fuse together, resulting in large molten masses of silver. Two of these misshapen formations were the last to be rescued from the mint.[2] The contents were immediately turned over to the Chinese government by the regiment.[6]

The last two molten formations, weighing a combined 90 pounds (41 kg), were later presented by Chinese General Li Hung Chang to the 9th Infantry Regiment, as an expression of appreciation from the Chinese government to the regiment for their actions in helping retake the city and protecting the mint's contents from pillage.[2]

The regiment's officers held an informal media on what to do with the fused silver and decided to construct a legacy trophy in the form of a punch bowl. Before the regiment departed Beijing, Chinese silversmiths constructed 52 cups from a part of the silver. After the regiment returned to the Philippines in April 1902, the remainder of the fused silver was sent to Yokohama, Japan, care of Arthur & Bond Company, a fine arts gallery and manufacturer that catered mainly to foreigners and English expatriates. Japanese silversmiths working for the company spent eight months creating the ornate bowl, the ladle and the circular tray, based on the specific instructions forwarded by the regiment.[2][7]

Liscum Bowl, circa 1907

The set was completed on 2 November 1902. It first went on display in the window of Arthur & Bond Company, and the ladle was stolen. Part of the ladle was quickly recovered from the thief, who had managed to break off part of it and sell it. He sentenced to seven years in prison.[8] It was repaired and the set was sent to the United States.[5] It was transported by a U.S. cruiser via the Suez Canal and finally presented to the regiment at Madison Barracks, New York, in April 1903.[2]

Over the years, the Liscum Bowl traveled with the regiment and went on display for many years. It was stored in a vault at a San Antonio bank during World Wars.[6]

In 2003, it underwent much needed restoration work at Creative Metalworks in Maryland, which described its condition: "One hundred years after its creation, the bowl was in dire need of restoration: dented, crushed and battered, full of lead solder from poorly executed prior repairs, and missing talons and other segments of the ornate dragons."[9]

After a thorough restoration, the Liscum bowl was on display at Center for Military History in Washington, D.C. It was returned to Korea in 2006, where it is on display in the museum at Camp Red Cloud.[10][2]

References

  1. ↑ Hevia, James (2003). English Lessons: The Pedagogy of Imperialism in Nineteenth-Century China. Duke University Press. p. 306. ISBN 0822331888. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Featured Artifact - July-August 2007". U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  3. ↑ Robson, Seth (28 December 2003). "2nd ID museum director keeps history alive". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  4. ↑ Chaiklin, M. (2014). Ivory and the Aesthetics of Modernity in Meiji Japan. Springer. pp. 28–29. ISBN 9781137363336. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Artistic Punch Bowl Set Valued at $40,000, on Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas, Jewelry Store". The Jewelers' Circular. Jewelers' Circular Company. 27 October 1920. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  6. 1 2 Rutledge, Jack (25 October 1945). "Famed Liscum Bowl Brought to Camp Swift". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "Arthur & Bond of Naturalistic Spoon". Naturalistic Spoon. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  8. ↑ Brown, Fred Radford (1909). History of the Ninth U.S. Infantry, 1799-1909. R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company. p. 840. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "Current Projects: The Liscum Bowl". Creative Metalworks. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  10. ↑ Slavin, Erik (28 March 2006). "Valuable silver Liscum Bowl back with 2nd ID". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 25 November 2016.

External links

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