PenguinAwarenessDay tea party, anyone? 🐧☕️
ArtDeco 3-piece tea service (teapot, creamer, sugar bowl), penguin-form
Indian, c.1920–1930
silver w/ Bakelite handle
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 2013.628.1,2,3
“This tea service, delightfully comprised of emperor penguins (endemic to Antarctica), bears the arms of Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner from 1888–1943, on the left wing of each piece. The royal arms includes the motto (in Hindi): ‘Victory to the King of the Desert.’ Ganga Singh was one of many Indian maharajas who developed a taste for Art Deco in the early 20th century. The modern lines of this tea service would not have been out of place in his palace, which also featured an Art Deco swimming pool.”