Archive

07 May

Posted at 10:00h in

Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 1st Baronet (1652-1733), by Michael Dahl, depicted in Alderman's robes with the Coronation mace and sword on a table behind him.   Oil on canvas. 126cm x 102cm Sir Gilbert was a very successful London merchant. He was one of the promoters of the new East India Company and served as its Director. He was also a founder of the Bank of England. In 1694, he was elected one of the bank's first Directors and served as Governor from 1709 to 1711...

03 May

Posted at 14:48h in

A Japanese Kakiemon bijin (or beautiful lady) of the Edo Period, late 17th Century.   In the 1680s, the Kakiemon family of potters discovered and perfected the technique of applying overglaze enamels in bright colours (red, green, blue and yellow) onto a milky-white glazed surface and refiring at a lower temperature. These highly prized Kakiemon style wares were made in the kilns near Arita in Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan. The figure is dressed in the fashion of the period, with a...

03 May

Posted at 13:39h in

The crimson velvet lambrequin pelmet and backboard, which now form the hangings of this half-tester bed, are from the canopy in Westminster Hall used at King George IV's Coronation in 1821.   The pelmet is embroidered in metal thread with the monogram of George IV, framed by the lion of England, the harp of Ireland and the thistle of Scotland, and the backboard with the monogram below a crown. The Gothic giltwood and papier-mâché throne canopy was supplied by C.F. Bielefeld for the...