This silver epergne was presented to William Farquhar, the first British Resident of Singapore. It was a parting gift from the Chinese community when he left the island in 1823. The epergne was an ornamental centre piece for the table. It had three branches to hold candles and a centre crystal bowl for fruit. It was made by a famous London silversmith, Rundle, Bridge & Rundle. Such epergnes decorated the dinner tables of well-to-do families in England and signifies Farquhar’s popularity with the Asian communities in Singapore in the 1820s (refer to 1994-00053).
