Mastery of Design: The Russian Zigzag Bracelet, c. 1860-1895

Bracelet of Rubies and Diamonds set in Gold
Russia, 1860-1895
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the mid Nineteenth Century, the bracelet was one of the most important pieces of jewelry in a woman’s sparkly arsenal.  They were worn stacked high on the arms—bracelets, not women.  

As the V&A points out, “The French connoisseur Edmond Joly de Bammeville declared that the ‘daytime’ bracelet was the ‘main feature of national dress’ in England. Up to seven or eight of differing design might be worn between the wrist and elbow on both arms. Alternatively, they could be worn in pairs and even over gloves.”

Here’s a pretty nifty example of the trend.  This bracelet of an interlocking zigzag design of alternating diamonds and rubies is set in a gold framework.  It was made in Russia between 1860 and 1895  by an unknown jeweler and is, simply put, quite stunning.

This was the sort of bracelet favored by the then-future Queens Alexandra and Mary, at the time, respectively Princess of Wales and Duchess of York.  Queen Mary would have, I think, especially liked this piece.  

Sunday Morning Special: The Delhi Durbar, 1911

In the December of 1911 (on my birthday, the twelfth, to be exact—well, sixty-two years earlier), King George V and Queen Mary traveled to India to be crowned as Emperor and Empress.  I’ve finally managed to find some film footage of the magnificent event.  Skip to obnoxiously long ad.  

Painting of the Day: Preparing for the Coronation, 1937

Preparing for the Coronation
Martin Hardie, 1937
Part of Queen Mary's post-Great War "Recording Britain" Effort
The Victoria & Albert Museum
Click image to enlarge.

In honor of both King George V and Queen Elizabeth II, we have here a very special watercolor depicting King George VI (George V and Queen Mary’s second son, Bertie, and father to Queen Elizabeth II). 

Painted by Martin Hardie (1875-1952) in 1937, the scene shows the local preparations of West Malling (Kent) for the coronation of King George VI.  This coronation was almost going to be that of King Edward VIII, but thanks to Wallis Simpson and the Abdication Kerfuffle ™, “Bertie” stepped in and ascended the throne in his elder brother’s place. 

Hardie cleverly has given us an almost candid view of West Malling’s townsfolk hanging bunting on buildings in the town square.  


Pardon me for a moment while I hawk some mugs and t-shirts.  But, don't you want your very own  Abdication Kerfuffle ™ items?  I know you do.

The Home Beautiful: The Henry Holiday 'Aspasia in the Pynx' Window, 1886-1890

Aspasia In Pynx
Henry Holiday, 1886-1890
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Henry Holiday (1839-1927) was a renowned designer of stained glass, and painter, who, between 1863 and 1891, worked as a freelance designer for the glass makers Powells at Whitefriars in London. In 1891. Holiday set up his own stained glass studio through which he took on some of his most impressive commissions.

This piece was one of the last Holiday created for Powells. It was completed between 1886 and 1890. The image on this panel was probably taken from the painting “Aspasia in the Pynx,” which Holiday painted between 1886-8. Aspasia was the mistress of Pericles, the great and controversial Athenian leader of Greek antiquity. “The Pynx” refers to an area of land where the Greek popular assembly met.

The original painting was included in Holiday’s book “Reminiscences of My Life” which was published about 1914. Miss Kathleen Douglas-Pennant (later Lady Falmouth), daughter of Lord Penrhyn, was employed as the model for Aspasia.

Here, Holiday has incorporated his painting into a quatrefoil panel of clear and colored glass, which has been painted and stained.

Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square will Continue on Monday

We all rather guessed that the murder of William Stover would mean trouble for the residents of No. 65 Belgrave Square. It was bad enough that whomever had killed the man felt the need to dump his corpse in front of the posh townhouse, but matters only became more complicated when Ellen’s mentally-challenged brother showed up—covered in blood—in Mrs. Pepper’s scullery.

Punch managed to calm Mr. Barrett despite the fact that the household was in chaos. Gerard had been attacked, too, leaving a nasty gash in the man’s head which was quite similar to the injury Mr. Barrett had sustained. How were the two injuries related? And, what did any of it have to do with the murder of Mr. Stover? Robert thought that Mr. Barrett was most likely responsible for William’s death, but Ellen protested, stating her brother’s innocence.

Punch sent Ellen and Charles to investigate Mr. Barrett’s hired rooms (after the wild man had been heavily drugged). Though the footman and the governess quarreled all the while, they found nothing except a note that Roger’s caretaker had taken off. Who could blame him? The two returned to Belgrave Square to resume watching Mr. Barrett while Punch tried to regain control of the household. This task proved difficult when Eudora Stover (the dead man’s sister) and Hortence (their former maid) showed up at the front door with Tom. Yes, Tom, the page. You see, Tom is Eudora’s son and she’d been using the boy to spy on the Duke’s household. Now, we know that Eudora and Hortence had been in league since the latter was dismissed by Robert. Originally they wanted to make the Duke and the Doctor pay for sacking the girl. However, that night, they showed up wanting “justice” for William’s death. Of course, to them, justice meant cash. The women implied that Robert had something to do with William’s death and Punch wanted no part of it.

Punch rashly and falsely declared that he had murdered William—much to the shock of Robert. Charles, Gerard and Speaight supported Punch’s lie as all of them strove to protect Robert. Punch even went as far as to make this declaration to the beadle who seemed to buy the story. Eudora, Hortence and Tom left in defeat, but not before announcing that they hadn’t finished with the residents of No. 65. Robert, as one might expect, proceeded to freak out. Punch, however, insisted that Robert had no reason to worry and that he would do anything to protect his companion.

Expecting the arrival of an inspector from Scotland Yard, the household prepared itself. Charles and Gerry took Roger Barrett back to his hired rooms where he’d be looked after by a new man—a young physician in training hired by Robert. Robert and Punch made their peace with the apologetic governess who seemed to show a queer interest in learning more about Grange Molliner—Punch’s Scottish ancestral home which he inherited from his father, Sir Colin.

While Punch was upstairs trying to work, Robert and Speaight discussed the household. The front door rang. Speaight and Robert feared the inspector had come early and were shocked when Queen Victoria and her entourage were on the other side of the door. The Queen found Robert to be sensitive and charming and confessed her fondness for the Duke. Her Majesty tried to convince Robert into telling her the truth about the murder, but Robert wouldn’t budge. The Queen, however, managed to trick Punch into telling her the truth. As both Robert and Punch panicked, the Queen assured them that she would look after them.

So, now what? With Queen Victoria on their side, will things quiet down for Robert and Punch? Nah. This royal involvement will only complicate matters, especially when Prince Albert finds out about it. Meanwhile, Ellen’s up to something. What’s on her mind? Is she only trying to get a comfortable home for her brother or is there more to it? Gerard will face some further challenges as he finds himself given more medication and this will cause some trouble with Gamilla. Ellen and Charles continue to spar, and Mrs. Pepper gets a shock when a face from her past arrives at the area door. 

Make sure to come back on Monday for Chapter 53 of Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square. It’s going to be an exciting week. If you’ve missed any chapters, you can find links to them as well as brief summaries of each in the Chapter Archive.

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Thomas Hopper Wardrobe, 1820-30

Wardrobe
Thomas Hopper, 1820-30
From Gosford Castle
The Victoria & Albert Museum

While this wardrobe appears rather unusual, the interior is quite typical for what it is. Made between 1820 and 1830, this is the work of Thomas Hopper (1776-1856) who first trained as a surveyor. Hopper’s first major commission was the Gothic Conservatory which he added to Carlton House, London in 1807, for the Prince Regent, later King George IV.

Hopper established himself as a designer of grand country houses, working in various styles. The most admired of his designs, however, were his Norman-style castles of Gosford and Penryhn, for which he also designed the copious amounts of furniture which were required. Among them, was this handsome wardrobe.

This wardrobe was probably made for Gosford Castle, since it does not resemble any of the Penrhyn furniture. The contents of Gosford were all sold off in the 1920s, allowing this piece to be liberated to the V&A.

The front of the wardrobe is marked by concentric rounded arches which are decorated with variations on zig-zag carving and roll moldings. These are supported by columns with incised decoration. Animal figures grace the spandrels and figurative decoration appears underneath the main arch which is also surmounted by an overhanging cornice and deep pediment.

Object of the Day: A Souvenir of the Coronation of King George V

I pray God that my eldest son will never marry and that nothing will come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne. 
--King George V




I recently acquired this handsome, but, curious souvenir from the 1911 coronation of King George V. Oddly enough, this pennant was not made in the U.K., but according to the text on the reverse was made in Boyerton, Pennsylvania. I’m not quite sure why. 

The pennant is machine sewn of red, white and blue felt which has been adorned with glittered gold paint and an applied photograph roundel of His Majesty King George V. The date of George’s coronation, June 22, 1911, is emblazoned on the bottom of the front.

I thought this was a fitting “Object of the Day” as we begin the Central Weekend of the festivities of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee (June 2-5) in honor of her sixty years on the thrones of the Empire. Her Majesty was the favorite grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary. She referred to her paternal grandfather as “Grandfather England,” and the King—until his death in 1936—was concerned that the accession of his eldest son, “David,” the Prince of Wales (later, briefly, King Edward VIII, and, later still the Duke of Windsor—to me “The Great Kerfuffler” ™) would prevent “Lilibet,” as he called his eldest granddaughter, from one day becoming Queen. Thanks, however, to the abdication, Princess Elizabeth ascended as Queen Elizabeth II following the death of her father, “Bertie,” King George VI, in 1952 (coronation on June 2, 1953). In the end, King George V and Queen Mary got their wish—their granddaughter was Queen, and remains so to this day. 

If you’re as much of a Royal history buff as I, or, if you would like to join the world in commemorating Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, I’d like to suggest that you visit our online store and browse the host of Diamond Jubilee items available there amongst a wealth of other fun Royal stuff.