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
Caption 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.”
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
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)
What: A horn cup, mounted in silver engraved “Theodore’s Cup”
Where: National War Museum, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, EH1 2NG
The museum’s catalogue entry has one image
National Museums of Scotland spreadsheet
Accession number: M.1949.215
Description: Theodore cup of horn with silver mounts, taken by Paymaster Major Thomson after the Storming of Magdala, Abyssinia, 1868
Acquisition source: Miss C.E. McLeod, Overseas Club [Inverness]
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
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