Painting of the Day: A Portrait of Mary Stuart, 1804

Mary Stuart
Denis Brownell Murphy, 1804
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Mary Stuart (1542-87) succeeded to the Scottish throne in 1542. She was only six days old at the time. Mary’s life wasn’t a whole lot of fun after that. She had some family issues, you could say. She had a rocky relationship with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, and, also had some troubles with her husband for the one year that she was Queen Consort of France. Battles for the Scottish throne forced Mary flee to England in 1568. She had asked Elizabeth I for sanctuary and Elizabeth said, “Sure, honey. Come on over.” But, you see, Mary had already claimed Elizabeth’s throne as her own, so by the time she asked to “crash on Elizabeth’s couch,” Elizabeth was thinking that perhaps her cousin was a threat. So, by the time Mary arrived in England, she was effectively a prisoner of the English Queen. This ended with Mary being was executed in 1587, having been found guilty of plotting to overthrow Elizabeth.

Good times. 

This attractive enamel miniature depicts Mary Stuart—centuries after her death. It was made during a time in the Nineteenth Century when artists and jewelers were combining their skills and remembering the Seventeenth Century notion that enamel lasted much longer, and without fading, than oil paint. It’s the work of Denis Brownell Murphy who painted a series of images illustrating the lineage of the House of Stuart, beginning with Mary Queen of Scots. Mary is shown wearing a red embroidered dress with a high ruff, a gold cap and a cross at her neck. The frame is papier-mâché with ormolu mounts formed to resemble shells and a crown.

To Serve and Project: The Dudley Box, 1579

This pretty little box was made in England in 1579 to hold sweetmeats. Gifts of sweetmeats, sugared fruits and candies were traditional presents at New Year in the Royal Court. Sometimes these were presented in special, and often precious, containers such as this one.

The crest of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (died 1588) is inlaid im silver in the lid. Dudley was the favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, and was, therefore, a very important fella about the court. No doubt, this box must have been made especially for Dudley as a New Year's gift.

Curiously, after the box had been donated to the V&A, it was untouched for many years. In fact, it was not opened until 1968 when the crest of Dudley and inscribed date was discovered for the first time.

The box is decorated in the technique known as damascening, a process, especially popular in the Sixteenth Century, in which gold and silver ribbon is forced into a cross hatched surface of iron using a copper tool. The base iron was darkened with heat and chemicals so that it would develop a blue or black hue which would contrast with the gold and silver ornament.

The Home Beautiful: "A Catte," by Mary, Queen of Scots c. 1569

A Catte
Mary Queen of Scots
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

This embroidered canvas panel, dating to about 1569, was made by Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1587) who was known as a skilled needleworker.

Mary has pictured a ginger cat with a mouse—set against a checkered floor. Her cipher is prominent. This piece, like much of the Queen’s needlework, was created between 1569 and 1584, during the period when Mary had fled from Scotland and was held captive in England by the Earl of Shrewsbury. Together with Shrewsbury’s wife, Mary Queen of Scots embroidered many such canvas panels which had been drawn out for her in black silk by an embroideress.

Mary based the figure of the cat on an image from a woodcut in” Icones Animalium” by Conrad Gesner--an illustrated tome of natural history which was published in Zurich in 1555. Some suggest that she picked the theme of “A Catte” to indicate that she saw herself as the mouse and Queen Elizabeth as her captor.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Dudley Box, 1579

This pretty little box was made in England in 1579 to hold sweetmeats.  Gifts of sweetmeats, sugared fruits and candies were traditional presents at New Year in the Royal Court.  Sometimes these were presented in special, and often precious, containers such as this one.   

The crest of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (died 1588) is inlaid im silver in the lid. Dudley was the favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, and was, therefore, a very important fella about the court.  No doubt, this box must have been made especially for Dudley as a New Year's gift.

Curiously, after the box had been donated to the V&A, it was untouched for many years.  In fact, it was not opened until 1968 when the crest of Dudley and inscribed date  was discovered for the first time.

The box is decorated in the technique known as damascening, a process, especially popular in the Sixteenth Century, in which gold and silver ribbon is forced into a cross hatched surface of iron using a copper tool. The base iron was darkened with heat and chemicals so that it would develop a blue or black hue which would contrast with the gold and silver ornament.  

Mastery of Design: Silver Gilt Snuffers, 1547-1553

Snuffers
Cast, Silver Gilt
1547-1553
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This striking silver gilt object is perhaps not immediately recognizable to modern eyes though we can guess that this is something that’s meant to be used with candles. Chased and beautifully engraved, on the handles the objects reads “GOD SAVE THE KINGE” while the back reads, “EDWARDE WYTHE ALL HIS NOBEL COUNCEL.”

These are snuffers. Snuffers were used, as we could have guessed, to maintain candles by shortening the wicks to prevent them from burning too fast. Snuffing candles was an important task in homes well until 1820 when the advent of the smokeless wick made snuffing unnecessary. These ingenious tools featured blades to trim the wick while the heart-shaped box held the cut-off ends.

This particular example dates between 1547 and 1553 and bears the arms of Edward VI along with the inscriptions noted above. Edward VI was the only surviving son of Henry VIII. He reigned from 1547 to 1553 and was succeeded by his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth.

These snuffers were passed down through the family Edward’s uncle, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector. Edward Seymour who was the brother of Jane Seymour, the King's mother and one of the many wives of Henry VIII.

Surviving items from the Tudor Court are rather rare. Furthermore, they demonstrate the attention to detail that was lavished by the court goldsmiths on small domestic items. We tend to forget that such detail was essential to objects as early as those created in the Sixteenth Century. Since the snuffers lack a hallmark, it is probable that these were a special order for the court and not sold to the general public.

Drawing of the Day: Homage to the Queen, 1953

Homage to the Queen
Design for the Coronation Ballet
Oliver Messel, 1953
The Victoria & Albert Museum

“Homage to the Queen” was choreographed by Frederick Ashton as the Sadler's Wells Ballet tribute for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June, 1953. The production was performed at the Royal Opera House. We can tell from production notes which were made at the time that it appears that the production designer, Oliver Hilary Sambourne Messel, (1904 - 1978 ) conceived the ballet opening with an extravagant procession, incorporating both English folk and mythological figures which would close with an Apotheosis showing Elizabeth I as Queen of the Past, handing the Imperial orb to Elizabeth II as Queen of the Present. At the end of the opening, the image of the Queen would be left, as Messel put it, “surrounded with all the virtues and gifts.”

Messel, one of Britain’s leading theatrical designers of the 1930s through 1950s, envisioned this spectacle to be something like a 17th century Jacobean court masque in the manner of Inigo Jones and produced “lavish, fantastical designs” which managers of the ballet noted, “would have cost more than his sets and costumes for the main ballet.” Because of the potential expense, the stage procession of the homage was reduced to a simple entry for the queens of the four elements - Earth, Water, Fire and Air - and their attendant. Messel still got his way—partially. After the ballet, an apotheosis is performed wherein the spirit of the first Elizabeth passes the orb to the second. Here we see one of the storyboard images which Messel produced for his original concept of the homage ballet. This image shows the lion and the unicorn of the Royal arms. The sketch shows the two figures, dancing, facing each other, and carrying flowers which were to be presented to the Queen.

Lord Snowdon, onetime husband of Princess Margaret, and Oliver Messel's nephew, inherited Messel's theatrical designs and other artifacts. According to the V&A, “The designs were briefly stored in a disused chapel in Kensington Palace before being housed at the V&A from 1981 on indefinite loan. The V&A Theatre Museum purchased the Oliver Messel collection from Lord Snowdon in 2005.”

Gifts of Grandeur: The Wild Jewel, c. 1590

"The Wild Jewel"
Turquoise Cameo of Elizabeth I set in gold with diamonds, rubies and pearls.
1590
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Known as “The Wild Jewel,” this pendant jewel in gold and enamel is set with diamonds and rubies and encloses a turquoise cameo of Queen Elizabeth I.  It is hung with pearls.

The jewel was made circa 1590 in England.  It was lent to the Victoria and Albert Museum for the Special Loan Exhibition of 1862 by James.W. Wild.  Mr. Wild was closely connected to the Museum and was also the architect of the Bethnal Green Museum and of the V&A's Architectural Courts.

According to the tradition in the Wild family, the jewel, along with a lace christening robe, was given by Elizabeth I to a god-daughter of the family.  

Mastery of Design: The Heneage Jewel, c. 1595

The Heneage Jewel
Circa 1595
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Known both as the Heneage Jewel and "The Armada Jewel,"  this glorious locket of enameled gold is set with table-cut diamonds and Burmese rubies.  The obverse displays a bust of gold under rock crystal depicting Elizabeth I.  This depiction is apparently an early version of the Garter Badge, which, alone dates to about 1585.

The inside of the locket is set with a miniature of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) painted by Nicholas Hilliard.

Meanwhile, the hinged reverse of the locket is enameled with the Ark of the English Church on a storm-chopped sea--representing the Protestant church steered by Elizabeth through religious turmoil. The interior of the reverse is enameled with a Tudor rose encircled by leaves.

Tradition tells us that the  jewel was given by the queen to Sir Thomas Heneage, a Privy Counsellor and Vice-Chamberlain of the Royal Household.  The important jewel remained in the possession of the Heneage family until 1902. 

Often, the jewel is referred to as the "Armada Jewel," though it was probably made in about 1595, some seven years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. 

The jewel is inscribed in Latin:

'ELIZABETHA D.G. ANG. FRA. ET. HIB. REGINA' 

(Elizabeth, by the grace of God Queen of England, France and Ireland)

'SAEVAS. TRANQUILLA. PER. VNDAS' 

(peaceful through the fierce waves) 

'Hei mihi quod tanto virtus perfusa decore non habet eternos inviolata dies' 

(Alas, that so much virtue suffused with beauty should not last for ever inviolate)

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Pendant with a Miniature of Queen Elizabeth I, 1585-1600

Pendant with Portrait of
Queen Elizabeth I
Nicholas Hilliard, 1585
Case, 1600
Gold, Enamel, Rubies, Diamond
The Royal Collection

Within this small case of gold, enamel, rubies and an old table-cut diamond, lies an unexpected treasure. The case was constructed in 1600 expressly to house this miniature portrait of Elizabeth I which had been painted fifteen years earlier.


The painting on ivory was created by Nicholas Hilliard presumably to be eventually set into an item of jewelry. Elizabeth I was fond of giving lavish gifts of jewelry which often featured her image. No doubt, this was one of them. To whom she made the gift is uncertain, however, in the Nineteenth Century, the pendant was sold to the jewelers Rundell, Bridge & Rundell who quickly sold it to King George IV in 1816.

Mastery of Design: The Heneage Jewel, c. 1595

The Heneage Jewel
Circa 1595
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Known both as the Heneage Jewel and "The Armada Jewel,"  this glorious locket of enameled gold is set with table-cut diamonds and Burmese rubies.  The obverse displays a bust of gold under rock crystal depicting Elizabeth I.  This depiction is apparently an early version of the Garter Badge, which, alone dates to about 1585.

The inside of the locket is set with a miniature of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) painted by Nicholas Hilliard.

Meanwhile, the hinged reverse of the locket is enameled with the Ark of the English Church on a storm-chopped sea--representing the Protestant church steered by Elizabeth through religious turmoil. The interior of the reverse is enameled with a Tudor rose encircled by leaves.

Tradition tells us that the  jewel was given by the queen to Sir Thomas Heneage, a Privy Counsellor and Vice-Chamberlain of the Royal Household.  The important jewel remained in the possession of the Heneage family until 1902. 

Often, the jewel is referred to as the "Armada Jewel," though it was probably made in about 1595, some seven years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. 

The jewel is inscribed in Latin:

'ELIZABETHA D.G. ANG. FRA. ET. HIB. REGINA' 

(Elizabeth, by the grace of God Queen of England, France and Ireland)

'SAEVAS. TRANQUILLA. PER. VNDAS' 

(peaceful through the fierce waves) 

'Hei mihi quod tanto virtus perfusa decore non habet eternos inviolata dies' 

(Alas, that so much virtue suffused with beauty should not last for ever inviolate)

Drawing of the Day: Homage to the Queen, 1953

Homage to the Queen
Design for the Coronation Ballet
Oliver Messel, 1953
The Victoria & Albert Museum

“Homage to the Queen” was choreographed by Frederick Ashton as the Sadler's Wells Ballet tribute for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June, 1953. The production was performed at the Royal Opera House. We can tell from production notes which were made at the time that it appears that the production designer, Oliver Hilary Sambourne Messel, (1904 - 1978 ) conceived the ballet opening with an extravagant procession, incorporating both English folk and mythological figures which would close with an Apotheosis showing Elizabeth I as Queen of the Past, handing the Imperial orb to Elizabeth II as Queen of the Present. At the end of the opening, the image of the Queen would be left, as Messel put it, “surrounded with all the virtues and gifts.”

Messel, one of Britain’s leading theatrical designers of the 1930s through 1950s, envisioned this spectacle to be something like a 17th century Jacobean court masque in the manner of Inigo Jones and produced “lavish, fantastical designs” which managers of the ballet noted, “would have cost more than his sets and costumes for the main ballet.” Because of the potential expense, the stage procession of the homage was reduced to a simple entry for the queens of the four elements - Earth, Water, Fire and Air - and their attendant. Messel still got his way—partially. After the ballet, an apotheosis is performed wherein the spirit of the first Elizabeth passes the orb to the second. Here we see one of the storyboard images which Messel produced for his original concept of the homage ballet. This image shows the lion and the unicorn of the Royal arms. The sketch shows the two figures, dancing, facing each other, and carrying flowers which were to be presented to the Queen.

Lord Snowdon, onetime husband of Princess Margaret, and Oliver Messel's nephew, inherited Messel's theatrical designs and other artifacts. According to the V&A, “The designs were briefly stored in a disused chapel in Kensington Palace before being housed at the V&A from 1981 on indefinite loan. The V&A Theatre Museum purchased the Oliver Messel collection from Lord Snowdon in 2005.”

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Silver Gilt Snuffers, 1547-1553

Snuffers
Cast, Silver Gilt
1547-1553
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This striking silver gilt object is perhaps not immediately recognizable to modern eyes though we can guess that this is something that’s meant to be used with candles. Chased and beautifully engraved, on the handles the objects reads “GOD SAVE THE KINGE” while the back reads, “EDWARDE WYTHE ALL HIS NOBEL COUNCEL.”

These are snuffers. Snuffers were used, as we could have guessed, to maintain candles by shortening the wicks to prevent them from burning too fast. Snuffing candles was an important task in homes well until 1820 when the advent of the smokeless wick made snuffing unnecessary. These ingenious tools featured blades to trim the wick while the heart-shaped box held the cut-off ends.

This particular example dates between 1547 and 1553 and bears the arms of Edward VI along with the inscriptions noted above. Edward VI was the only surviving son of Henry VIII. He reigned from 1547 to 1553 and was succeeded by his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth.

These snuffers were passed down through the family Edward’s uncle, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector. Edward Seymour who was the brother of Jane Seymour, the King's mother and one of the many wives of Henry VIII.

Surviving items from the Tudor Court are rather rare. Furthermore, they demonstrate the attention to detail that was lavished by the court goldsmiths on small domestic items. We tend to forget that such detail was essential to objects as early as those created in the Sixteenth Century. Since the snuffers lack a hallmark, it is probable that these were a special order for the court and not sold to the general public.

The Home Beautiful: "A Catte," by Mary, Queen of Scots c. 1569

A Catte
Mary Queen of Scots
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

This embroidered canvas panel, dating to about 1569, was made by Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1587) who was known as a skilled needleworker.

Mary has pictured a ginger cat with a mouse—set against a checkered floor. Her cipher is prominent. This piece, like much of the Queen’s needlework, was created between 1569 and 1584, during the period when Mary had fled from Scotland and was held captive in England by the Earl of Shrewsbury. Together with Shrewsbury’s wife, Mary Queen of Scots embroidered many such canvas panels which had been drawn out for her in black silk by an embroideress.

Mary based the figure of the cat on an image from a woodcut in” Icones Animalium” by Conrad Gesner--an illustrated tome of natural history which was published in Zurich in 1555. Some suggest that she picked the theme of “A Catte” to indicate that she saw herself as the mouse and Queen Elizabeth as her captor.

Mastery of Design: The Wild Jewel, c. 1590

"The Wild Jewel"
Turquoise Cameo of Elizabeth I set in gold with diamonds, rubies and pearls.
1590
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Known as “The Wild Jewel,” this pendant jewel in gold and enamel is set with diamonds and rubies and encloses a turquoise cameo of Queen Elizabeth I.  It is hung with pearls.

The jewel was made circa 1590 in England.  It was lent to the Victoria and Albert Museum for the Special Loan Exhibition of 1862 by James.W. Wild.  Mr. Wild was closely connected to the Museum and was also the architect of the Bethnal Green Museum and of the V&A's Architectural Courts.

According to the tradition in the Wild family, the jewel, along with a lace christening robe, was given by Elizabeth I to a god-daughter of the family.  

Painting of the Day: A Portrait of Mary Stuart, 1804

Mary Stuart
Denis Brownell Murphy, 1804
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Mary Stuart (1542-87) succeeded to the Scottish throne in 1542. She was only six days old at the time. Mary’s life wasn’t a whole lot of fun after that. She had some family issues, you could say. She had a rocky relationship with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, and, also had some troubles with her husband for the one year that she was Queen Consort of France. Battles for the Scottish throne forced Mary flee to England in 1568. She had asked Elizabeth I for sanctuary and Elizabeth said, “Sure, honey. Come on over.” But, you see, Mary had already claimed Elizabeth’s throne as her own, so by the time she asked to “crash on Elizabeth’s couch,” Elizabeth was thinking that perhaps her cousin was a threat. So, by the time Mary arrived in England, she was effectively a prisoner of the English Queen. This ended with Mary being was executed in 1587, having been found guilty of plotting to overthrow Elizabeth.

Good times. 

This attractive enamel miniature depicts Mary Stuart—centuries after her death. It was made during a time in the Nineteenth Century when artists and jewelers were combining their skills and remembering the Seventeenth Century notion that enamel lasted much longer, and without fading, than oil paint. It’s the work of Denis Brownell Murphy who painted a series of images illustrating the lineage of the House of Stuart, beginning with Mary Queen of Scots. Mary is shown wearing a red embroidered dress with a high ruff, a gold cap and a cross at her neck. The frame is papier-mâché with ormolu mounts formed to resemble shells and a crown.

Drawing of the Day: Homage to the Queen, 1953

Homage to the Queen
Design for the Coronation Ballet
Oliver Messel, 1953
The Victoria & Albert Museum

“Homage to the Queen” was choreographed by Frederick Ashton as the Sadler's Wells Ballet tribute for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June, 1953. The production was performed at the Royal Opera House. We can tell from production notes which were made at the time that it appears that the production designer, Oliver Hilary Sambourne Messel, (1904 - 1978 ) conceived the ballet opening with an extravagant procession, incorporating both English folk and mythological figures which would close with an Apotheosis showing Elizabeth I as Queen of the Past, handing the Imperial orb to Elizabeth II as Queen of the Present. At the end of the opening, the image of the Queen would be left, as Messel put it, “surrounded with all the virtues and gifts.”

Messel, one of Britain’s leading theatrical designers of the 1930s through 1950s, envisioned this spectacle to be something like a 17th century Jacobean court masque in the manner of Inigo Jones and produced “lavish, fantastical designs” which managers of the ballet noted, “would have cost more than his sets and costumes for the main ballet.” Because of the potential expense, the stage procession of the homage was reduced to a simple entry for the queens of the four elements - Earth, Water, Fire and Air - and their attendant. Messel still got his way—partially. After the ballet, an apotheosis is performed wherein the spirit of the first Elizabeth passes the orb to the second. Here we see one of the storyboard images which Messel produced for his original concept of the homage ballet. This image shows the lion and the unicorn of the Royal arms. The sketch shows the two figures, dancing, facing each other, and carrying flowers which were to be presented to the Queen.

Lord Snowdon, onetime husband of Princess Margaret, and Oliver Messel's nephew, inherited Messel's theatrical designs and other artifacts. According to the V&A, “The designs were briefly stored in a disused chapel in Kensington Palace before being housed at the V&A from 1981 on indefinite loan. The V&A Theatre Museum purchased the Oliver Messel collection from Lord Snowdon in 2005.”

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: An Italian Linen Handkerchief, 1600

Italian Linen Handkerchief
1600
The Victoria and Albert Museum

Plain linen handkerchiefs have been around almost literally forever and have long served the same purpose that they do to this day.  However, in the Sixteenth Century, a fashion arose wherein decorative handkerchiefs carried purely as fashionable accessories.  These delicate articles were popularly given as fashionable gifts, especially on New Year’s Day.  This was a habit which was especially enjoyed by Queen Elizabeth I.  However, the gift of a handkerchief usually carried romantic significance.  During courtship, the couple exchanged symbolic gifts such as gloves, ribbons, rings and handkerchiefs. The acceptance of such a gift indicated a binding commitment and, as the V&A reminds us, “could be used as proof of betrothal in the case of any disputes.

This Italian example dating to the early Seventeenth Century (about 1600, actually) has whitework embroidery which has been worked in detached buttonhole and satin stitches, needle lace and cutwork decoration.

Cutwork adornment is the earliest form of needle lace and was originally based on a woven ground, from which areas have been cut away. Elaborate cutwork was an important decoration on fashionable dress for both men and women from about 1570 to 1620.  As was the style of this era, the cutwork decoration is located at the handkerchief’s four corners .

The handkerchief has survived all of these centuries because it was intended as an accessory and was never used for less-elegant purposes.  Somehow, it ended up in the collection of  the English lace dealer Samuel Chick from whom it was purchased by the V&A in 1906.

Mastery of Design: The Wild Jewel, c. 1590

"The Wild Jewel"
Turquoise Cameo of Elizabeth I set in gold with diamonds, rubies and pearls.
1590
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Known as “The Wild Jewel,” this pendant jewel in gold and enamel is set with diamonds and rubies and encloses a turquoise cameo of Queen Elizabeth I.  It is hung with pearls.

The jewel was made circa 1590 in England.  It was lent to the Victoria and Albert Museum for the Special Loan Exhibition of 1862 by James.W. Wild.  Mr. Wild was closely connected to the Museum and was also the architect of the Bethnal Green Museum and of the V&A's Architectural Courts.

According to the tradition in the Wild family, the jewel, along with a lace christening robe, was given by Elizabeth I to a god-daughter of the family.  

Mastery of Design: The Barbor Jewel, 1615-1625

The Victoria & Albert Museum

A pendant of enameled gold is set with an onyx cameo of Queen Elizabeth I and with table-cut rubies and diamonds. It is hung with a cluster of pearls. On the reverse, an oak tree has been enameled. This is known as The Barbor Jewel.

According to Barbor family tradition, first recorded in 1724, this jewel was made for William Barbor (died 1586)--a Protestant. The family tradition states that William Barbor wanted to commemorate his escape from the stake (where Protestants were put to death by the Catholic rulers) thanks to the accession of Elizabeth I (1558-1603).

As with most family traditions, this one is probably apocryphal. The style of the enameling, setting and the Queen’s costume indicates a later creation date, from about 1615-1625. Regardless, it’s an important historical ornament, and as beautiful as the day it was made.

Card of the Day: Queen Elizabeth I's Salt Cellar

One of the more obscure and little-known objects of the Coronation Regalia is pictured in the fiftieth and final card of the Churchman Cigarette Company’s 1935 Silver Jubilee Series. Here, we see “Queen Elizabeth’s Salt,” which is also known as “The Great Salt” and is believed to have been a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. This is actually one of nearly a dozen such “salts” which are housed along with the Crown Jewels. However, this one, due to its unique shape, is thought to be the most magnificent.


The oldest salt cellar of the eleven in the Jewel Tower at the Tower of Londo, “The Great Salt” certainly dates from the reign of Elizabeth I. It is thought to be a model of the White Tower. It has been used at the coronation banquets of most monarchs from the time of King Charles II.

Now, that’s it for our “Card of the Day” feature. For awhile, anyway. I’ve got my eyes open for more monarchy-related cigarette cards, but, to be honest, I already own and have shared with you most of the sets that were produced. Can you believe that we’ve already looked at 120 of them? Still, if I find more, I’ll snatch them up.

In the meantime, I’ve got some new nifty things in queue waiting to take the place of the cards. So, tomorrow, we begin our “Obscure Book of the Day” feature. This feature will take you through my collection of odd Royalty-related ephemera from actual historical Coronation and Jubilee Celebration Programs to vintage children’s books about various monarchs from the past, to, even, strange magazines about the love lives of Britain’s Royal Family. There’s a lot of this stuff on my shelves and it’s all very interesting. So, get ready for a few weeks of fun ahead.