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The flat-chased Chinoiserie figures carrying a canopy on the newly acquired James II Coronation Cup demonstrate the original purpose of its recycled silver: they reflect the decoration of canopies carried by barons of the Cinque Ports over the heads of the newly crowned monarch and his consort. This article places the new acquisition in the context of surviving Coronation silver and furnishings in the V&A Collections and elsewhere , including canopy bells and staves, tankards, cups, a punch bowl, a counter box, George II's canopy and George IV's footstool. The James II Coronation Cup The caption to the engraving in Sandford's publication reads, 'A canopy of Cloth of Gold, like that of the Kings, to be born over the QUEEN by Eight Barons of the Cinque-Ports with Four Silver Bells gilt hanging at the Corners. It was born by 16 Barons of the Cinque Ports there being 32 in all'. The Court of Claims met before the coronation of a new monarch to determine who possessed the right to perform services of honour about the sovereign during the ceremony.
Jones, E. Alfred. Illustrated Catalogue of the Collection of Old Plate of J.Pierpont Morgan. London, 1908: pl.LXXIX, 33. The International Genealogical Index. Cresheld Draper (d.1693) originally from Crayford, Kent was MP for Winchelsea from 1678 to 1687. He married Sarah Gauden of Clapham, Surrey, in 1665. She was the daughter of Sir Dennis Gauden of Mayland, Essex. The Lord Great Chamberlain – One of the Officers of State, the Lord Great Chamberlain had traditionally played a major role in Coronations. For the Coronation in May, the Lord Great Chamberlain will take part in the investing of The King with the regalia - the Crown Jewels. Steeped in British sartorial tradition, morning suits are the most stately of formal attire for men, synonymous with weddings and events like Royal Ascot. There’s a sense of solemnity to a morning suit – that majestic sweep of the tails, the waistcoat beneath (never with the bottom right button buttoned up). Wearing one makes an impact in a way a lounge suit never can. It was only right that they’d make a grand appearance at the Coronation. The names of 13 individuals and organisations who will play important historic ceremonial roles in the Coronation of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort on May 6 have been announced.
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Participants announced refer to the 13 roles that are subject to historic claims for the Coronation Service Of course, there was only one man standing out in full ceremonial splendour on the day, but in a mark of respect for the momentous occasion, the male guests watching King Charles III’s Coronation put their best feet (and suits) forward too. I am grateful to Harry Williams-Bulkeley for bringing this to my attention. Marked by Francis Garthorne, it was subsequently in the Mulliner Collection and the Percival Davis Griffiths Collection and shown in the Park Lane Exhibition, 1929, no.55. It will be auctioned in London, by Christie's, on 20 November 2009 (lot 40) Perry, Edward. Gift Plate from Westminster Hall Coronation Banquets. Apollo. Double Coronation Number, LVII, no.340, (1953): 198-200. In 1991 the V&A acquired at auction the footstool made for the king's use at the Coronation of George IV (on long term loan to the Westminster Abbey Undercroft Museum). (25) The James II Coronation cup and cover formerly belonged to J. Pierpont Morgan, an outstanding collector of paintings, manuscripts and decorative arts; (26) the V&A already has a number of pieces previously owned by him.
In addition, those chosen to take on the roles proved that they are the established office holders, descendants of a relevant family or relevant owners of land to perform the task." Butler, Robin. The Albert Collection. London, 2004: no.374. Baines, J. Manwaring. 'The Cinque Ports and Coronation Services'. Hastings Museum Publication, No.18, 3rd edition, 1968: 12. The stave mount is an inch in diameter and 3 ft 8 in long. Finally, there are those who claim that they must perform a duty owing to their tenure of land by grand serjeanty. Numbered amongst such people are the lords of various manors, and those who claim the offices of grand almoner, chief butler, chief cupbearer, panneter, lardiner, napier and king's champion. Less dad at a party, more ex-primary school teacher with an ankle monitor. Avoid. DO opt for a knitted waistcoatV&A: 494,495,496-1873. These are illustrated in Clayton, Michael. The Collector's Dictionary of the Silver and Gold of Great Britain and North America. London, 1971: 27, fig.33 a,c,d. An identical bell to Clayton’s fig. 33c is lot 169 in Sotheby’s New Bond Street 18 November 2009 sale. The Barons of the Cinque Ports, a historic group of representatives of 14 coastal towns in South East England, will also attend the ceremony, as will a member of the Walker Trustees - the Episcopal Bishop of Edinburgh, who previously performed the role of Usher of the White Rod. The taste for Chinoiserie reflects the growing importance of European trade with China following the foundation of the London-based East India Company in 1600. By the 1670s the establishment of a trading base off Fujian resulted in large-scale shipments to England of admired Chinese goods. Such trade fostered a European market for furniture japanned in imitation of true oriental lacquer. Bed hangings and curtains of imported Chinese silk damasks created appropriate settings for such exotic possessions. By 1688, John Stalker's & William Parker's 'A Treatise of Japaning and Varnishing' was published to appeal to the growing taste for professional and amateur japanning. It was appropriately dedicated to Mary, Countess of Derby, Lady of the Bedchamber to the new Queen Mary II, daughter of James II and his first wife Anne Hyde. Chinoiserie was an appropriately exotic visual language for furnishings associated with the monarch. (5) Figure 3 - Monteith Racing Trophy by Robert Cooper, London, England, 1688-9. Silver, height 22.9 cm. Museum no. M.25-2002
Figure 9 - Cup and Cover, Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, London, 1821-2. Gold, height 22.5 cm. Museum no. M.42-1982 Those given Coronation roles will be at the heart of this historic ceremony, but of course the entire nation will have its part to play in events up and down the country, in what promises to be a weekend to remember. Those chosen showed evidence that their claim related to a historic customary service performed at previous Coronations . In addition, those chosen to take on the roles proved that they are the established office holders, or the holders of the relevant title or land to perform the task." V&A: W.12 & 13-1928. Wilk Christopher, ed. Western Furniture 1350 to the Present Day. London, 1996: 68.Figure 5 - Engraving Showing the Canopy Held Over Mary of Modena from Francis Sandford, The History of the coronation of James II, London, 1687. V&A: National Art LibraryThe caption to the engraving in Sandford's publication reads, 'A canopy of Cloth of Gold to be born over the KING by Eight of the Sixteen Barons of the Cinque-Ports (two to a Staff) with Silver Bells gilt at each Corner of the said Canopy, viz. four in all (It was born by 16 of the 32 Barons of the Cinque Ports)'. First, there are the offices granted by hereditary right: that of lord high steward, lord great chamberlain, lord high constable, earl marshal, and the bearer of the spurs in the coronation procession.
In addition, those chosen to take on the roles proved that they are the established office holders, descendants of a relevant family or relevant owners of land to perform the task. The chair and footstool covered with purple velvet used by Archbishop Juxon at the Coronation of Charles II, and given to the Archbishop after that Coronation, came to the V&A in 1928 and are currently displayed in the British Galleries. (24) Two of the barons, members of the same family, Cresheld and Gawden Draper, combined their share - probably one stave mount and one bell - which were melted down to make this commemorative cup and cover. As the combined weights of one mount and one bell were just under 36 ounces, and the cup and cover weighs just over 16 ounces, it is possible that two cups were made, one for each member of the family who attended the coronation. However, only one is known today. Other recorded examples of silver recycled from coronation bells and stave mounts include a tankard made for the senior baron Tobias Cleve, who represented Sandwich after the Coronation of Charles II (now in the collection of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London); and a punch bowl and ladle by London goldsmiths George Boothby and William Fordham, made following George II's Coronation, belonging to the Corporation of Hastings. (9) The tankard is inscribed, 'This Pott was made of ye Silver of ye Canopie when King Charles ye 2d was Crowned, Aprill 23d 1661'. The Hastings punch bowl is inscribed as follows: Left-wing politicians including Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau opted for simple single-breasted suitsKing Charles is studious in his approach to his wardrobe, and that sentiment carried through into how the men lining up in Westminster Abbey interpreted the expansive dress code. “National dress, morning coats or lounge suits” was the official line, the latter a rather antiquated (but entirely correct) way to describe what you or I know as the standard corporate suit, and while some opted for this less formal approach, the majority of men favoured the full majesty of morning dress. V&A:W.7-1991. The footstool is of beech, stained and gilded with cover of red silk velvet trimmed with meal thread fringe; supplied by Bailey and Saunders for the Coronation of King George IV, British, 1821 Figure 4 - Engraving Showing the Canopy Held Over James II from Francis Sandford, The History of the Coronation of James II, London, 1687. V&A: National Art Library
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