The Prince and the Plunder

A book on how Britain took one boy and piles of treasures from Ethiopia

Processional cross

Published / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: A processional cross taken by the British Museum’s expert on the expedition, Richard Rivington Holmes

Where: The British Museum, Great Russell St, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DG

Provenance: Maqdala referenced at length in the museum’s acquisition notes.

The catalogue entry reads:

Acquisition notes: Richard Rivington Holmes, an assistant in the manuscripts department of The British Museum, had accompanied the expedition as an archaeologist. He acquired a number of objects for the British Museum, including around 300 manuscripts which are now housed in the British Library. In 1868 the Secretary of State for India, Sir Stafford Henry Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh, donated to The British Museum two further collections of material from Maqdala. 

Detail
Museum number: Af1868,1001.17
Date: 18thC
Acquisition name: Previous owner/ex-collection: Sir Richard Rivington Holmes
Acquisition date: 1868

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *