The Prince and the Plunder

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

Tag: Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Queen Terunesh’s cloak

Published / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: Queen Woyzaro Terunesh’s cotton cloak, richly embroidered and decorated with metalwork

Where: Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3DZ

This appears to be at one of a group of similar robes, cloaks or mantles from Magdala currently split up in the store rooms of The British Museum, The Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and The Ethnological Museum of Berlin. See the ones we have tracked down here.

The Berlin database entry, which has several detailed images, gives details on the collection and suggests Emperor Tewodros initially commissioned them to send as presents to Queen Victoria. It also says a group of missionaries from Magdala had been trying to sell the cloaks in Egypt after the campaign.

The Cambridge catalogue entry, which includes pictures, reads:

Context: “Information supplied by Nicola Stylianou, PhD student at the V&A and taken from the V&A archives, offers evidence that Z 19184-5, Z 18161 and Z 19188 were transferred from the Victoria and Albert Museum on 24/8/1934, with the Hawaiian cape 1934.1159, three Chinese textiles, a Russian silk, and a fringed woven vegetable fibre textile, with bands of geometrical patterns’ from the South Seas, the latter items as yet unidentified.

“Given to the V&A 28 April 1869 by the Secretary of State for India. The handwritten V&A register, completed on entry notes the cloak as ‘belonging formerly to the Queen of Abyssinia’. The printed V&A register confirms this and notes ‘This cloak formerly belonged to the Queen of Abyssinia’. Previously owned by Queen Woyzaro Terunesh, the second wife of the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros (Theodore), and mother of the prince Alamayehu. Acquired by British troops at the siege of Magdala (Mek’dala) in 1868.”

Detail
Reference numbers: Z 19184; 395-1869 (V&A)

Blue silk cloak with gold lining *

Published / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: Blue silk cloak with gold lining, richly embroidered and decorated with silver gilt filigree

Where: Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3DZ

This appears to be at one of a group of similar robes, cloaks or mantles from Magdala currently split up in the store rooms of The British Museum, The Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and The Ethnological Museum of Berlin. See the ones we have tracked down here.

The Berlin database entry, which has several detailed images, gives details on the collection and suggests Emperor Tewodros initially commissioned them to send as presents to Queen Victoria. It also says a group of missionaries from Magdala had been trying to sell the cloaks in Egypt after the campaign.

The Cambridge catalogue entry, which includes pictures, reads:

Context: “Information supplied by Nicola Stylianou, PhD student at the V&A and taken from the V&A archives, offers evidence that Z 19184-5, Z 18161 and Z 19188 were transferred from the Victoria and Albert Museum on 24/8/1934, with the Hawaiian cape 1934.1159, three Chinese textiles, a Russian silk, and a fringed woven vegetable fibre textile, with bands of geometrical patterns’ from the South Seas, the latter items as yet unidentified.

“The V&A’s handwritten register, completed on entry notes ‘Robe , dark blue silk with coloured silk embroidery, and ornamented with silver gilt filigree. Abyssinian.’ Noted as bought for £80 on March 18 1869 from ‘Lt Col. Stanton’. This is presumably Edward Stanton, consul-general in Alexandria, who was involved in the dispute regarding the imprisonment of the consulate Capt. Charles Duncan Cameron, and others by King Tewodros in 1864, which led to the British 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia.”

Context: See 1944.25. ‘A label stitched into the cloak reads: “Col Stanton” F. Veys, 19/9/2005’

Detail
Reference Numbers Z 19185 Other: 211-1869 (V&A)
Measurement Notes: 134 cm long, 120 cm wide

Elaborate blue silk cloak

Published / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: Cloak – very elaborate blue silk outside with yellow embroidery, with red silk lining, decorated with metal repousse work

Where: Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3DZ

This appears to be at one of a group of similar robes, cloaks or mantles from Magdala currently split up in the store rooms of The British Museum, The Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and The Ethnological Museum of Berlin. See the ones we have tracked down here.

The Berlin database entry, which has several detailed images, gives details on the collection and suggests Emperor Tewodros initially commissioned them to send as presents to Queen Victoria. It also says a group of missionaries from Magdala had been trying to sell the cloaks in Egypt after the campaign.

The Cambridge catalogue entry, which includes pictures, reads:

Context: “Information supplied by Nicola Stylianou, PhD student at the V&A and taken from the V&A archives, offers evidence that Z 19184-5, Z 18161 and Z 19188 were transferred from the Victoria and Albert Museum on 24/8/1934, with the Hawaiian cape 1934.1159, three Chinese textiles, a Russian silk, and a fringed woven vegetable fibre textile, with bands of geometrical patterns’ from the South Seas, the latter items as yet unidentified.

“The handwritten V&A register, completed on entry, noted it was purchased from Mr Smith, 17 Howland St for £8, and gives the date of receipt from stores as 17th July 1873.”

Detail
Reference numbers: Z 18161
Measurements: 1550.0mm x 80.0mm x 1590.0mm

Queen Terunesh’s cloak

Published / by Andrew Heavens / Leave a Comment

What: Queen Woyzaro Terunesh’s embroidered blue silk cloak

Where: Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3DZ

This appears to be at one of a group of similar robes, cloaks or mantles from Magdala currently split up in the store rooms of The British Museum, The Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and The Ethnological Museum of Berlin. See the ones we have tracked down here.

The Berlin database entry, which has several detailed images, gives details on the collection and suggests Emperor Tewodros initially commissioned them to send as presents to Queen Victoria. It also says a group of missionaries from Magdala had been trying to sell the cloaks in Egypt after the campaign.

The Cambridge catalogue entry, which includes pictures, reads:

Context: “Information supplied by Nicola Stylianou, PhD student at the V&A and taken from the V&A archives, offers evidence that Z 19184-5, Z 18161 and Z 19188 were transferred from the Victoria and Albert Museum on 24/8/1934, with the Hawaiian cape 1934.1159, three Chinese textiles, a Russian silk, and a fringed woven vegetable fibre textile, with bands of geometrical patterns’ from the South Seas, the latter items as yet unidentified.

“The Handwritten V&A register, completed on entry, noted it was given by the Secretary of State for India, and the date of receipt from stores as April 28th 1869. The V&A printed register adds ‘This cloak formerly belonged to the Queen of Abyssinia’. This is a reference to Queen Woyzaro Terunesh, the second wife of the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros (Theodore), and mother of the prince Alamayehu. presumably acquired by British troops at the siege of Magdala (Mek’dala) in 1868 along with Z 19184.”

Detail
Reference numbers: Z 19188; 396-1869 [V&A]
Measurements: 980.0mm x 1905.0mm