Gifts of Grandeur: The Pugin Headband, 1848

Headband
A.W.N. Pugin, 1848
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We have previously looked at a brooch which comprises partof this suite by famed architect (of Palace of Westminster fame) A.W.N. Pugin. Let’s, now, take a look at another piece from this same parure dating to 1848.

Designed by Pugin and made in Birmingham, this headband of enameled gold is set with a ruby, brilliant-cut diamonds, turquoises and pearls, and is one of the few, rare pieces of jewelry designed by the architect. Like the other pieces in the larger parure (suite) of jewels, the headband is created in the Gothic style that Pugin favored. Pugin was inspired by medieval ecclesiastical decoration in almost everything he set his mind to.

The headband bears the inscription “CHRISTI CRUX EST MEA LUX” (Christ's cross is my [guiding] light). Pugin designed this suite of jewels for the lady he proposed to make his third wife, but that marriage was not to be. A few months later, he met and married Jane Knill and offered the parure to her. The new Mrs. Pugin allowed for the suite to be shown at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London as part of the Medieval Court.

Sunday Sparkle: The Pugin Brooch, 1848

Brooch
Part of a Parure (see below)
A.W.N. Pugin
Gold, Enamel, Garnet, Rubies, Turquoise, Pearls
This, and all related images:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

If the V&A ever has a garage sale or “jumble,” I have dibs on this brooch of enameled gold, set with a ruby, cabochon garnets, turquoises and pearls
Not only is it extremely beautiful, but, it’s got an interesting provenance. It’s one of the few pieces of jewlery designed by the English architect A.W.N. Pugin (partially responsible for the Palace of Westminster). Part of a large parure of jewels by Puding, designed in the Gothic style that he favored, this delicious brooch is inspired by medieval ecclesiastical adornment.

Pugin had a motive for designing this brooch. He designed it for the lady whom he proposed to make his third wife. That marriage was not to be, however, and, in 1848, he offered the parure to one Jane Knill who not only accepted the big box of sparklies, but also agreed to be his third wife. Considered excpetionally spectacular—the jewels, not Jane--in 1851, the complete parure was displayed at the Great Exhibition in London as part of the Medieval Court.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Pugin Headband, 1848

Headband
A.W.N. Pugin, 1848
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We have previously looked at a brooch which comprises partof this suite by famed architect (of Palace of Westminster fame) A.W.N. Pugin. Let’s, now, take a look at another piece from this same parure dating to 1848.

Designed by Pugin and made in Birmingham, this headband of enameled gold is set with a ruby, brilliant-cut diamonds, turquoises and pearls, and is one of the few, rare pieces of jewelry designed by the architect. Like the other pieces in the larger parure (suite) of jewels, the headband is created in the Gothic style that Pugin favored. Pugin was inspired by medieval ecclesiastical decoration in almost everything he set his mind to.

The headband bears the inscription “CHRISTI CRUX EST MEA LUX” (Christ's cross is my [guiding] light). Pugin designed this suite of jewels for the lady he proposed to make his third wife, but that marriage was not to be. A few months later, he met and married Jane Knill and offered the parure to her. The new Mrs. Pugin allowed for the suite to be shown at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London as part of the Medieval Court.

Drawing of the Day: Pugin's Carpet Design, 1846

Design for Carpet for the Throne at the House of Lords
Palace of Westminster
A.W.N. Pugin, 1847
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-52) will always be considered one of the Nineteenth Century’s most significant and influential architects, designers and theorists.  He is, perhaps, almost single-handedly responsible for the Gothic Revival.  Despite his many triumphs, Pugin will remain best remembered for his work on the Palace of Westminster.

This design by Pugin shows his concept for the carpet for the throne of the House of Lords Chamber. The rose, labeled white, is actually shown colored red as it was in the finished carpet which was in place for the opening of the House of Lords in 1847.   The carpet design in place remained unchanged until 1980.

Object of the Day: A Stereograph Depicting the Palace of Westminster

Here we see another stereograph from my growing collection of antique ephemera.  Produced by the Keystone View Company, the off-set images are meant to be viewed with a hand-held stereo viewer or "stereoscope".

The front of the stiff cardboard slide is marked:

Keystone View Company Copyrighted H.C. White Co.
Manufacturers.      Made in U.S.A.        Publishers

Meadville, Pa.,  New York, NY. 
Chicago, Ill., London, England


W25414 T Houses of Parliament and Towers of Westminster Abbey, W. across Thames, London, England.


On the reverse, we see:

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT AND TOWERS OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY, LONDON

     The legislative halls of an empire upon which the sun never sets rise impressively before us.  Extending 940 feet along the Thames, the Houses of Parliament, comprising the House of Lords and the House of Commons, are of surpassing beauty and size, covering nearly eight acres.  These buildings contain eleven courts, 100 staircases and 1100 apartments.  They were begun in 1840 and finished in 1859, at a total cost little short of $15,000,000.  The government officials, secretaries, and employees frequenting the buildings make up a great army in addition to the actual members of the two Houses, and this enormous pile, vast as it is, provides no more than appropriate housing for the conduct of national houses. 
     On the left, Victoria Rower, seventy feet square, uplifts it's pinnacles to an altitude of 340 feet.  The spire seen in the center of the building is known as the Middle Tower.  The Clock Tower, in the distance on the right, has a height of 318 feet.  Its four dials are each twenty-three feet in diameter, their circumference being circled every hour by minute hands twelve feet in length.  This os the tower in which "Big Ben" is hung, a ponderous bell weighing thirteen tons, whose deep-toned voice can be heard eight miles away.
     The twin towers that we see beyond the Victoria Tower, at the extreme left, are those of Westminster Abbey.  To the extreme right, beyond the Houses of Parliament, the Victoria Embankment begins, there also is located the new "Scotland Yard," London's famousmpolice headquarters.

Copyright by the Keystone View Company 

Obscure Book of The Day: The Pictorial History of the Houses of Parliament

Here’s another little Pitkin Guide, this one entitled, “The Pictorial History of the Houses of Parliament: The Palace of Westminster.” I can tell by the text about the “recent” lying-in-state of King George V, King George VI and Queen Mary, that this guide was published around the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Like the other Pitkin Guides produced in the “Pride of Britain” series, this one includes beautiful photos—both color and black and white—and crisp text describing the history and significance of each location. In this case, the copy was written by The Viscount Craigavon. I don’t know who he was, but he had a nifty title.

Let’s take a look inside.

Card of the Day: Westminster Hall

Earlier this week, we explored the Palace of Westminster—the seat of British government—and took a quick look at Westminster Hall which is one of the oldest original parts of the palace. Westminster Hall has long played an important part in the coronation procession. This fact is recorded in the 1935 Silver Jubilee series of cards by Churchman’s Cigarette Company.
Westminster Hall was erected in 1096-7 and was, at the time, the largest such hall in Europe. The Hall was originally intended to be used for judicial purposes, and consequently housed three of the most important courts in Britain: the Court of King's Bench, the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of Chancery. By 1875, these three courts were combined into one: the High Court of Justice. This court retained Westminster Hall as its seat until 1882 when it moved to the Royal Courts of Justice.

The historic structure was also the scene of many important trials such as the impeachment trials and the state trials of King Charles I at the conclusion of the English Civil War, Sir William Wallace, Sir Thomas More, Cardinal John Fisher, Guy Fawkes, the Earl of Strafford, the rebel Scottish Lords of the 1715 and 1745 uprisings, and Warren Hastings.

The Coronation Banquet of King George IV, 1821
The Royal Collection

However, the most celebrated purpose of Westminster Hall has been its role in ceremonial functions. From the Twelfth Century, this was the home of the coronation banquets in honor of new Sovereigns. This tradition lasted through the coronation banquet of King George IV in 1821. William IV, George IV’s brother and successor, stopped this practice as part of his effort to at least appear to be more frugal with the Empire’s money.

Westminster Hall has been used for less jubilant, but equally important services. It has been the backdrop for lyings-in-state during state and ceremonial funerals. The honor of lying-in-state at Westminster Hall is usually reserved for the Monarch and/or their consorts. However, non-Royal persons have been laid out in the Hall. These exceptions are: Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts (1914) and Sir Winston Churchill (1965). The last time the Hall was used for this purpose was the lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Eagle Slayer by Edward William Wyon, 1846

The Eagle Slayer
E.W. Wyon
After John Bell
1846
The Victoria &
Albert Museum

This powerful statuette is a reduced-scale bronze version of the full-size figure by John Bell. The figure is inscribed on the side near the right foot: “EXECUTED BY/ E.W.WYON/ AFTER THE ORIGINAL OF/ J. BELL/ FOR THE ART UNION OF LONDON/ 1846.”

The original version of this figure was exhibited (in plaster) at the Royal Academy in 1837. The same subject was again shown at an exhibition in Westminster Hall in 1844. This time the figure was titled, “The Eagle Slayer” where it had been previously exhibited under the titles, “The Archer” or “The Eagle Shooter.”

Depicted here is a scene of a shepherd shooting an arrow at an eagle which he has just spied killing the lamb which lies at the shepherd's feet. Following the 1844 exhibition at Westminster Hall, the figure was purchased by a group known as the Art Union--an organization which reproduced contemporary works of art. Those reproductions—such as this one—were then raffled and awarded as lottery prizes.

The Art Union served another important purpose. The Union allowed for the wide distribution of many contemporary sculptures which they reproduced in bronze or in Parian. This allowed many middle-class art lovers to acquire important pieces of art for the first time.

Building of the Week: The Palace of Westminster

One of the most recognizable and iconic buildings in England, with its famous clock tower and impressive Gothic revival ornamentation, The Palace of Westminster (similarly referred to as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace) is the central home of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The Palace of Westminster proudly stands on the north bank of the River Thames in the high-end City of Westminster at the center of London and is near the famed Westminster Abbey and the important government offices of Whitehall and the Prime Minister’s residence on Downing Street.

So, why is this structure which is the equivalent to the U.S. Capitol referred to as a palace? The name comes from a reference to “The Old Palace” (a series of medieval buildings which were lost to fire in 1834). The structure retains its original style as a palace since it is technically considered a Royal residence—if only for ceremonial purposes.

The original royal palace on the site was built in the Eleventh Century. At the time, Westminster Palace was the primary London residence of the Monarchy. That first complex was destroyed—for the most part—in a fire in 1512. Since Parliament had been meeting at Westminster Palace since the Thirteenth Century, after the fire of 1512, the portion of the palace that was saved remained the seat of Parliament while the monarch’s residence was moved elsewhere. That building was also the seat of the Royal Courts of Justice, based in and around Westminster Hall—the only original part of the structure (built in 1096) which still remains and is a significant part of the Coronation procession.

J.M.W. Turner's Painting

The aforementioned fire of 1834 (which was recorded in a painting by J.M.W. Turner) destroyed most of what remained and the structures that had been added since 1512. All that remained after the 1834 fire was Westminster Hall, the Cloisters of St Stephen's, the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft and the Jewel Tower.

Since the Palace of Westminster was such an important part of the inner-workings of the British government, there was no question that the complex needed to be rebuilt. As was often the case with major building commissions, a competition was held to decide upon the best architect and team for the job.

The commission of the reconstruction of the Palace was won by architect Charles Barry who planned an enormous new complex in the Perpendicular Gothic style. What remained of the Old Palace (with the exception of the detached Jewel Tower) was absorbed into the new building which contains over 1,100 rooms which flow around two series of graceful courtyards. The new palace’s principal façade faces the Thames.

Barry was joined on this project by Augustus W. N. Pugin, who was the leading authority on Gothic architecture at the time. Pugin was instrumental in much of the adornment and decoration of the palace—offering designs for everything from floor tiles and windows to the furnishings. Construction began in 1840 and lasted for over thirty years. Progress was slowed by cost overruns, political woes and the deaths of both Barry and Pugin. The loss of Pugin greatly retarded the interior decoration which consequently continued well into the Twentieth Century. A bombing in 1941 during the Second World War greatly damaged the Palace and required considerable repair.

One of the most famous aspects of the palace is its iconic Clock Tower. The tower has become known erroneously as "Big Ben" after the clock’s main bell. The clock tower and the palace are instantly recognizable and have become synonymous with the government of the U.K.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Pugin Headband, 1848

Headband
A.W.N. Pugin, 1848
The Victoria & Albert Museum

A few weeks ago, we looked at a brooch which comprises part of this suite by famed architect (of Palace of Westminster fame) A.W.N. Pugin. Let’s, now, take a look at another piece from this same parure dating to 1848.

Designed by Pugin and made in Birmingham, this headband of enameled gold is set with a ruby, brilliant-cut diamonds, turquoises and pearls, and is one of the few, rare pieces of jewelry designed by the architect. Like the other pieces in the larger parure (suite) of jewels, the headband is created in the Gothic style that Pugin favored. Pugin was inspired by medieval ecclesiastical decoration in almost everything he set his mind to.

The headband bears the inscription “CHRISTI CRUX EST MEA LUX” (Christ's cross is my [guiding] light). Pugin designed this suite of jewels for the lady he proposed to make his third wife, but that marriage was not to be. A few months later, he met and married Jane Knill and offered the parure to her. The new Mrs. Pugin allowed for the suite to be shown at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London as part of the Medieval Court.

Card of the Day: The Champion’s Challenge

Yesterday, we discussed the concept of The King’s (or Queen’s) Champion, also known as The Champion of England, which is one of the more obscure rituals of the British coronation ceremony. Such traditions are depicted in the series of cigarette cards by Churchman’s Cigarette Company which were produced in 1935 for the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Victoria.


Apparently, as part of the coronation ceremony, the King’s Champion rides to protect the King from anyone who might wish to challenge his accession and to fight for the king who is forbidden from battle during the ceremony.

During the procession, ceremonial challenges to the king are staged and the Champion must ritually respond to these false challenges. Originally, the ceremonial challenges were staged thusly:

The Garter King of Arms would read out the challenge during the procession, and the Champion threw down the gauntlet at the entrance to Westminster Hall (the largest original part—dating to 1096--of what is now the Palace of Westminster/seat of Parliament). A challenge is then again issued in the middle of the Hall, and a third is read at the foot of the Throne. Each time the challenge is read, the gauntlet was recovered by the Garter King of Arms. As a reward for responding to these ritual challenges, The Champion was rewarded with a gilt, covered cup (much like the one we saw yesterday), from which the King or Queen has first drunk to the Champion.

Since the coronation of King George IV, the challenge has read as follows:

If any person, of whatever degree soever, high or low, shall deny or gainsay our Sovereign [name] King [Queen] of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, son [daughter] and next heir unto our Sovereign Lord the last King [Queen] deceased, to be the right heir to the imperial Crown of this realm of Great Britain and Ireland, or that he [she] ought not to enjoy the same; here is his [her] Champion, who saith that he lieth, and is a false traitor, being ready in person to combat with him, and in this quarrel will adventure his life against him on what day soever he shall be appointed."

Saturday Sparkle: The Pugin Brooch, 1848

Brooch
Part of a Parure (see below)
A.W.N. Pugin
Gold, Enamel, Garnet, Rubies, Turquoise, Pearls
This, and all related images:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

If the V&A ever has a garage sale or “jumble,” I have dibs on this brooch of enameled gold, set with a ruby, cabochon garnets, turquoises and pearls
Not only is it extremely beautiful, but, it’s got an interesting provenance. It’s one of the few pieces of jewlery designed by the English architect A.W.N. Pugin (partially responsible for the Palace of Westminster). Part of a large parure of jewels by Puding, designed in the Gothic style that he favored, this delicious brooch is inspired by medieval ecclesiastical adornment.

Pugin had a motive for designing this brooch. He designed it for the lady whom he proposed to make his third wife. That marriage was not to be, however, and, in 1848, he offered the parure to one Jane Knill who not only accepted the big box of sparklies, but also agreed to be his third wife. Considered excpetionally spectacular—the jewels, not Jane--in 1851, the complete parure was displayed at the Great Exhibition in London as part of the Medieval Court.