Chinese vase, 3rd (The East Kent) Regiment of Foot, Peking, China, 1860

Red glazed ceramic vase with later silver rim made by silversmiths Cook and Kelvey, Calcutta. Inscribed: '1860 Looted at Pekin and presented to the mess of his Regt by [...] Colonel Walker V.C. 1st Battn The Buffs'.

The vase is believed to have been taken from the Summer Palace in Peking (Beijing) at the end of the 2nd China War (1856-1860). The palace was looted by British and French military in 1860. The Summer Palace was an imperial garden of the Qing dynasty and was included in UNESCOs World Heritage List from December 1998.

From the collection of the former Buffs Regimental Museum.