The Prince and the Plunder

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

Category: Adornments & jewelry

Green silk and leather belt

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What: Belt 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: 

“Waist belt made of leather with green silk brocade stitched to the front surface using silk thread, lined with red silk on the inner surface; remnant of a further yellow silk lining is evident around the inner edge. The yellow lining would have covered the inner surface and edged the front of the belt. The belt is decorated with circular, domed buttons made of silver [?] and brass, stitched in linear patterns across the outer surface. Two large silver-gilt repoussé clasps decorated with floral motifs are stitched into either end of the belt.”

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.

Details
Museum number: Af1868,1001.2
Date: 19thC
Length: 99 cm
Width: 13 cm
Previous owner/ex-collection: Sir Richard Rivington Holmes biography
Acquisition date: 1868

A pair of anklets

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What: A pair of silver anklets 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

“Pair of woman’s anklets,Yïgïr Ambar, made of silver and silver gilt. Each anklet is made from a band of silver in three sections which are joined in two places with pinned hinges. The external surface of the anklet is overlaid with two bands of fine silver-gilt filigree work riveted in place with eight silver studs. It has three bands of silver gilt spheres set within bands of corded wire. The bottom edge of the anklet is decorated with a fringe of silver chains each ending in small conical bells.”

Curator’s comments:

“These type of anklets were worn exclusively by high ranking Christian women. Gold or gilded silver could only be worn with the permission of the Emperor. Most gold was locally sourced, but much of the silver was obtained by melting down imported Maria Theresa Thalers.
The small conical bells, commonly found on Christian Ethiopian jewellery, are believed to ward of demons with they tinkling sound.”

Details
Museum number: Af1868,1001.3.a-b
Date: 19thC
Previous owner/ex-collection: Sir Richard Rivington Holmes
Acquisition date: 1868
Anklet 1 – Height: 10 cm; Width: 7.5 cm; Depth: 7.5 cm
Anklet 2 – Height: 10.5 cm; Width: 8 cm; Depth: 7.5 cm

Amulet necklace

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What: An amulet necklace 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:

“Woman’s amuletic necklace, Ashän Ketab, made of twenty four silver and gold filigree work pendants threaded in pairs onto two silk cords. The cords are intermittently joined together by being threaded through a single glass bead.

“The amuletic pendants are in four designs;
(i) Rectangular with pullout internal drawer, plain silver backs, gold filigree front with five silver conical bells suspended on silver chains.
(ii) Semi circular with pull out internal drawer, plain silver back, gold filigree front, and three silver conical bells suspended from silver chains.
(iii) Circular with plain silver back and gold filigree front with central boss
(iv) Cylindrical, gold filigree in two parts which separate to reveal inner hollow silver cylinder.

“The necklace has five disc shaped pale yellow glass beads, four red faceted glass beads and three pale green faceted beads.”

Curator’s comments:

“The necklace was made for a high ranking Christian woman. The blue silk cord, Metab, is worn extensively by Ethiopian Christians.The necklace offers the wearer protection against demons and the cases may have contained prayers or cotton thread soaked in perfume. The amulet cases are still considered effective even when empty. The sound of the silver conical bells is also believed to ward off evil.

“Gold or gilded silver could only be worn with the permission of the Emperor. Most gold was locally sourced, but much of the silver was obtained by melting down imported Maria Theresa Thalers. The very fine filigree work may indicate that this necklace was made in Tigray.”

Detail:
Museum number: Af1868,1001.4
Date: 19thC
Height: 35 cm
Width: 26 cm
Depth: 1.6 cm
Previous owner/ex-collection: Sir Richard Rivington Holmes biography
Acquisition date: 1868

Charm necklace

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What: Necklace pictured on page 15 of the Illustrated London News, 2 January 1892, in a section headlined “Relics in the Victorian Exhibition”

Where: Unknown

charm_necklaceCaption on image: “Charm Necklace composed of leather ornamented with silver and beads, which contain texts from the Koran. Brought from Abyssinia by Lord Napier of Magdala in 1868.”

Belt of silver panels and chains *

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What: A belt of silver panels and chains, given by Secretary of State for India, Sir Stafford Henry Northcote

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

The catalogue entry reads: 

“Belt consisting of three silver, oblong panels interconnected by thirteen rows of silver chains. Each of the panels is decorated in a different style; with two tubular hollow silver ornaments, with four bands of repoussé and wirework, with a single tubular silver ornament and punched design. There is possibly some gilding on the panels. The chains are attached to the panels by being threaded onto a brass[?] pin which passes through a series of fourteen loops on the edge of each panel. The ends of the pins are bent to secure them in place. A length of hide is attached to a wire-work ring which is soldered to one of the panels.

Detail
Museum number: Af1868,1230.15
Date: 19thC
Acquisition name: Sir Stafford Henry Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh 
Acquisition date: 30/12/1868

Bracelet said to belong to Queen Terunesh

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What: A silver gilt bracelet said to belong to Queen Terunesh, the wife of Tewodros and mother of Alemayehu, taken by one of the freed prisoners on Magdala

Where: The National Museums of Scotland

Sources:

The museums’ online catalogue entry has no picture

National Museums of Scotland spreadsheet
Accession number: A.A.1901.395
Description: Bracelet of silver-gilt cast with bands of pellets and rope patterns, worn by King Theodore’s Queen: Eastern Africa, Ethiopia, taken by one of the Abyssinian prisoners at Magdala
Acquisition source: Holt, W.J., Colonel, 1901 (fl.)