The Prince and the Plunder

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

Category: Victoria’s robes

The British Museum robe

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

What: Robe 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.

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.

The British Museum catalogue entry reads:

“Robe made of silk with embroidered designs in silk thread. The robe has appliqued filigree and repoussé worked silver gilt ornaments.”

Museum number: Af1868,1001.23
Date: 19thC
Condition: Fragile
Previous owner/ex-collection: Sir Richard Rivington Holmes
Acquisition date: 1868

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Queen Terunesh’s cloak

Published June 18, 2024 / 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)

Posted In Royal regalia | Said to belong to the queen | The Plunder | Victoria's robes
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Blue silk cloak with gold lining *

Published June 18, 2024 / 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

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Elaborate blue silk cloak

Published June 18, 2024 / 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

Posted In Royal regalia | The Plunder | Victoria's robes
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Queen Terunesh’s cloak

Published June 18, 2024 / 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

Posted In Royal regalia | Said to belong to the queen | The Plunder | Victoria's robes
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The Berlin cloak, sold by one of the missionaries *

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

What: A cloak made of silk, gold, silver and cotton

Where: The Ethnological Museum of Berlin, Takustraße 40, 14195 Berlin, Germany

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:

“see. Acting procedure E 701/1868, sheet 2:
The Vice-Consul of the North German Confederation, Nerenz, writes from Cairo on June 19, 1868 to the Chancellor of the North German Confederation, Bismarck, and gives the advice, objects that the missionaries Ch. F. Bender, Th. Waldmeier, and J. Mayer from Ethiopia brought with them , for the ethnogr. and hist. to acquire collections. Things:
1. the tent of King Theodoros (Waldmeier);
2. a saddle of King Theodoros (Bender);
3. a lady’s coat (Mayer). An Abyssinian so-called queen’s mantle (worn) of silk fabric, colorfully embroidered at both edges and richly hung with silver dangles and cords. On the shoulders and on the back there are two large rosettes each of precious filigree work. At the front the coat is closed by a big silver lock, also with filigree of excellent work. The owner J. Mayer demands 300 Maria Theresien = Thaler.
As for the authenticity of the aforesaid objects, it seems certain, since it is notorious that the three missionaries mentioned were in the immediate vicinity of the king, with whom they always had friendly relations. Possibly the gentlemen on the orders of His Majesty in Abyssinia, Count Seckendorff (odor Soitaondorff), Lieutenant Stumm and Drs. Rohlfs can provide reliable information. As for the mantle mentioned in chapter 3, there is a similar one also in the possession of the missionary Saalmeyer, who has traveled to Jerusalem, and in the whole there are 8 such coats. Theodorus had ordered her in the famous filigree workshops at Adoa as wedding dresses for the English queen, if you should listen to his advertisements. After these hopes had been shattered, however, he gave them in a simplified manner to the most distinguished women in the country, to which the wives of the aforementioned missionaries (“Abessynians of birth”) were counted. Two of these coats were purchased by Lord Napier and sent to Her Majesty the Queen of England as trophies to London.
As regards the prices demanded, they do not appear to be high;
…. The owners wish … that the gn. Items for a patriotic collection would be acquired. ….. Signed Nerenz ….. “.
Acquisition of these pieces does not materialize.

“Cf. Act. 751/68: the saddle is offered again, for 500 marks. Purchase is rejected.

“Cf. Act. 268/70: Letter of the Missionary Society to Basel (Chrischona) of March 14, 1870: … “Of old King Theodore of Abyssinia became one of our missionaries and his wife
1 with rich embroidery and with silver = u. Filigree work richly decorated
Lady’s coat awarded as special award (a kind of aristocratic award)
can only be lent by the king … ((Saddle is also offered!))
both have a value of Thn. 700, -representative ….. made a present ….
Purchase is rejected.”

Details:
Karl Heinrich Saalmüller (29.11.1829 – 1906), collector
Silk, gold, silver, cotton
ID No. III A 566

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