The Prince and the Plunder

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

Tag: Britain’s Royal Collection

The emperor’s Thai slippers

Published June 18, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: A pair of filigree gold and red leather slippers said to belong to Emperor Tewodros

Where: The Royal Collection, Britain

The database entry has a photo and describes “A pair of filigree gold (?) and red leather slippers, with upcurved pointed toes and pointed tongues; set with rose-cut amethysts; metal soles.”

Provenance:

“Belonged to Tewodros II, Emperor of Abyssinia. Taken after Tewodros’ defeat at the 1868 Battle of Magdala and sent by General Sir Robert Napier to Queen Victoria with Tewodros’ crown, seal and robes. Presented to the queen at Windsor Castle by Lieutenant Colonel T.W. Milward on 18 June 1868.

“Sent for inclusion in a display of ‘Royal Treasures from Abyssinia’ at the South Kensington Museum. During an event held by the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts at the museum, it was noted that the slippers had been ‘intended by King Theodore to be sent with an embassy to England as a present to Her Majesty’ (TheAntiquary, III, 17 May 1873, p.238).

“Illustrated in Edwin Arnold, ‘Theodore The King’, The Gentleman’s Magazine, Vol. 225, 1868, p.381.

“Loaned to the South Staffordshire Industrial & Fine Arts Exhibition, Molineux House, Wolverhampton, in 1869 and to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1912.”

Posted In Royal regalia | Said to belong to Tewodros | The Plunder
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The emperor’s gold and silver crown or cap

Published June 18, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: A crown or “tarboosh” cap made of silver and gold, said to belong to Emperor Tewodros

Where: The Royal Collection, Britain

The catalogue entry, which has no image, describes: “an Abyssinian crown composed of eight silver, shaped-rectangular linking sections, each overlaid with gold filigree and inset with silver studs, with a circular finial from which hang 24 chains ending in cone-shaped finials.

Provenance

“Belonged to Tewodros II, Emperor of Abyssinia. Taken after Tewodros’ defeat at the 1868 Battle of Magdala and sent by General Sir Robert Napier to Queen Victoria with Tewodros’ robes, seal and slippers (RCIN 62108). These items were presented to the queen at Windsor Castle by Lieutenant Colonel T.W. Milward on 18 June 1868.  They were subsequently sent for inclusion in a display of ‘Royal Treasures from Abyssinia’ at the South Kensington Museum, where this crown was described as a ‘TARBOOSH’ or close-fitting cap, mounted in silver filigree’ (Spottiswoode, A Guide to the Art Collections of the South Kensington Museum, 1872, p.20). 

“Illustrated in Edwin Arnold, ‘Theodore The King’, The Gentleman’s Magazine, Vol. 225, 1868, p.381.

“Loaned to the South Staffordshire Industrial & Fine Arts Exhibition, Molineux House, Wolverhampton, in 1869.

“Displayed in the North Corridor at Windsor Castle (no.2083), where it was incorrectly described as the crown which ‘belonged to The Queen of Shoa… presented at Buckingham Palace in 1843 by Sir William (then Captain) Harris’.”

Posted In Crowns | Royal regalia | Said to belong to Tewodros | The Plunder
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Munzinger’s sword *

Published June 18, 2024 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: A shotel sword thought to belong to Werner Münzinger, British Consul during the time of the Abyssinian campaign

Where: The Royal Collection, Britain

The database entry has a picture and reads: “Sword (shotel) with a long, sickle-shaped, two-edged, steel blade with a prominent centre ridge and a wooden I-shaped hilt overlaid in silver, jewelled with carbuncles, with the inscription ‘Munzingee [Münzinger?] to Dillan. Abyssinia, 1868’. Plain leather scabbard covered with red velvet.”

Munzinger is likely to be Werner Münzinger (1832-1875), an explorer of East Africa and British Consul during the time of the Abyssinian campaign of 1868.

Provenance

“Recorded in the 1910 catalogue of Arms and Armour at Sandringham House with the note ‘Obtained during the British Expedition of 1867-6 (C. Purdon Clarke, Arms and Armour at Sandringham : The Indian Collection Presented by the Princes, Chiefs and Nobles of India to His Majesty King Edward VII, When Prince of Wales, on the Occasion of His Visit to India in 1875-1876; Also Some Asiatic, African and European Weapons and War-relics, no. 570)”

Posted In Military | The Plunder | Weapons
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A manuscript of the Miracles of Mary (RCIN 1005082)

Published April 28, 2023 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: An 18th century manuscript of the Miracles of Mary or ‘Nagara Maryam’ with images on almost every page

Where: The Royal Collection, Britain

Click here to see details and images on the Royal Collection website – https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/14/collection/1005082/nagara-maryam-geez

The database entry, which has several black and white images, reads: “Manuscript on vellum, in three columns, written by one scribe in a fair hand, in the Ge’ez language. Illuminated and illustrated copiously, with images on virtually every page. | 18.0 x 34.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 1005082”.

Note:

One of six ecclesiastical manuscripts from Maqdala, currently part of the Queen of England’s personal collection in the Royal Library in Windsor Castle.

They were part of the original haul of manuscripts given to the British Museum in the aftermath of the campaign. Museum staff selected the six most beautiful volumes and presented them to Queen Victoria.

Prof Richard Pankhurst, AFROMET vice chair, described the six illuminated books as “six of the finest Ethiopian religious manuscripts in existence”. He added: “These were specially selected for Queen Victoria, and are therefore, from the artistic point of view, virtually without equal anywhere in the world.”

Each volume includes a line identifying it as the property of the Church of Madhane Alam at Magdala. Thay are all written in the ancient Ethiopian language of Geez. All but one are described in the Royal Library catalogue as “profusely illustrated”.

Listed in Edward Ullendorff’s paper The Ethiopic Manuscripts in the Royal Library, Windsor Castle.

Posted In Festivals & miracles of Mary, Jesus & the angels | Manuscripts
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A manuscript of the Four Gospels (RCIN 1005084)

Published April 28, 2023 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: An 17-th18th century manuscript of the Four Gospels written in a particularly fine hand

Where: The Royal Collection, Britain

Click here to see details and images on the Royal Collection website – https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/15/collection/1005084/the-four-gospels-geez

The database entry, which has several black and white images, reads: “Manuscript on vellum, in two columns, written by two different scribes in the Ge’ez language. Folios 2-15 are written in a very small, particularly fine hand. Profusely rubricated. | 29.5 x 25.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 1005084”.

Note:

One of six ecclesiastical manuscripts from Maqdala, currently part of the Queen of England’s personal collection in the Royal Library in Windsor Castle.

They were part of the original haul of manuscripts given to the British Museum in the aftermath of the campaign. Museum staff selected the six most beautiful volumes and presented them to Queen Victoria.

Prof Richard Pankhurst, AFROMET vice chair, described the six illuminated books as “six of the finest Ethiopian religious manuscripts in existence”. He added: “These were specially selected for Queen Victoria, and are therefore, from the artistic point of view, virtually without equal anywhere in the world.”

Each volume includes a line identifying it as the property of the Church of Madhane Alam at Magdala. Thay are all written in the ancient Ethiopian language of Geez. All but one are described in the Royal Library catalogue as “profusely illustrated”.

Listed in Edward Ullendorff’s paper The Ethiopic Manuscripts in the Royal Library, Windsor Castle.

Posted In Biblical books | Manuscripts
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A manuscript of The Miracles of Our Lord Jesus (RCIN 1005079)

Published April 28, 2023 / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: An 18th century manuscript of the The Miracles of Our Lord Jesus with images on almost every page

Where: The Royal Collection, Britain

Click here to see details and images on the Royal Collection website – https://www.rct.uk/collection/search#/30/collection/1005079/the-miracles-of-our-lord-jesus-geez

The database entry, which has several black and white images, reads: “Manuscript on vellum, in two columns, by three scribes, in the Ge’ez language. Profusely illustrated with images particularly of the Virgin Mary and Child; first two lines of each Miracle rubricated. | 34.5 x 29.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 1005079”.

Note:

One of six ecclesiastical manuscripts from Maqdala, currently part of the Queen of England’s personal collection in the Royal Library in Windsor Castle.

They were part of the original haul of manuscripts given to the British Museum in the aftermath of the campaign. Museum staff selected the six most beautiful volumes and presented them to Queen Victoria.

Prof Richard Pankhurst, AFROMET vice chair, described the six illuminated books as “six of the finest Ethiopian religious manuscripts in existence”. He added: “These were specially selected for Queen Victoria, and are therefore, from the artistic point of view, virtually without equal anywhere in the world.”

Each volume includes a line identifying it as the property of the Church of Madhane Alam at Magdala. Thay are all written in the ancient Ethiopian language of Geez. All but one are described in the Royal Library catalogue as “profusely illustrated”.

Listed in Edward Ullendorff’s paper The Ethiopic Manuscripts in the Royal Library, Windsor Castle.

Posted In Festivals & miracles of Mary, Jesus & the angels | Manuscripts
Tagged