Necklace thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Necklace

before 1868 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This necklace of silver, leather and amber was formerly in the possession of Queen Woyzaro Terunesh, second wife of the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II (Theodore) and mother of the prince Alamayou. In 1864, frustrated by a lack of communication from Queen Victoria’s government, Tewodros took a number of Europeans captive, including the British consul, Captain Cameron. The British response was a military expedition of huge complexity and expense led by Sir Robert Napier. The expedition marched to Tewodros’s fortress at Maqdala (Magdala) where a brief battle took place. Britain won the conflict, but not before the captives were released and Tewodros himself had committed suicide.

Contemporary reports record that the widowed Queen expressed a wish to ‘be escorted as far as her native province of Semyen, in the north-west part of Tigreh [but] … when the head-quarters’ camp reached Aikhullet, on May 15 [1868], this poor lady died’, apparently of lung disease. ‘Her funeral took place next morning in the great church at Chelicut … The women of her household, showing her robe, her ornaments, her slippers and her drinking cup, beat their breasts, tore their hair, and scratched their cheeks, shedding tears of real grief as they bewailed her death’ (Illustrated London News, 1868). An inventory of the Queen’s possessions includes mention of a ‘charm necklace amber leather and silver’. These possessions were sent on to the Secretary of State for India at the India Office, London, and given to the South Kensington (later V&A) Museum the following year.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver, leather, amber
Brief description
Necklace, silver, leather and amber, Ethiopia, before 1868 (formerly belonging to Queen Woyzaro Terunesh, second wife of the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II (Theodore)).
Physical description
Necklace. Ten silver, crescent-shaped ornaments with conical pendants alternating with nine similar red leather ones and fourteen flat amber beads.
Dimensions
  • Length: 35cm
Gallery label
Maqdala 1868 display, 5 April 2018 - 30 June 2019 Jewellery belonging to Queen Terunesh የእቴጌ ጥሩነሽ ጌጣጌጦች Queen Terunesh was the second wife of Tewodros II and the mother of Prince Alemayehu. After her husband’s suicide, Terunesh asked that the British troops escort her to her native Semyen (ሰመይን), but she died of lung disease before the journey was complete. After her death, her jewellery and other possessions were sent to the Secretary of State for India at the India Office in London. They were then given to this Museum. Necklace የአንገት ጌጥ Made in Ethiopia before 1868 Silver, leather and amber Museum no. 408-1869 Seeing these pieces reminds me of my mother’s jewellery collection. The wearing of jewellery was always done with such pride. The women in my family cherished them like treasures. Specific pieces only came out for events like weddings or religious holidays. - Judith van Helden, Ethiopian Heritage Fund(5 April 2018 - 30 June 2019)
Credit line
Given by the Secretary of State for India
Object history
Accessions register entry: 'Necklace. Silver, crescent shaped ornaments with conical pendants alternating with similar leather ones and flat amber beads, formerly belonging to the Queen of Abyssinia. Abyssinian. Given by the Secretary of State for India. April 28th 1869'.

See 'Set of Articles of Deceased Queen of Abyssinia' and related correspondence in British Library collections at IOR R/20/AIA/503.
Displayed in "V and A Africa: Exploring Hidden Histories"
15th November 2012- 3rd February 2013
Association
Summary
This necklace of silver, leather and amber was formerly in the possession of Queen Woyzaro Terunesh, second wife of the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II (Theodore) and mother of the prince Alamayou. In 1864, frustrated by a lack of communication from Queen Victoria’s government, Tewodros took a number of Europeans captive, including the British consul, Captain Cameron. The British response was a military expedition of huge complexity and expense led by Sir Robert Napier. The expedition marched to Tewodros’s fortress at Maqdala (Magdala) where a brief battle took place. Britain won the conflict, but not before the captives were released and Tewodros himself had committed suicide.

Contemporary reports record that the widowed Queen expressed a wish to ‘be escorted as far as her native province of Semyen, in the north-west part of Tigreh [but] … when the head-quarters’ camp reached Aikhullet, on May 15 [1868], this poor lady died’, apparently of lung disease. ‘Her funeral took place next morning in the great church at Chelicut … The women of her household, showing her robe, her ornaments, her slippers and her drinking cup, beat their breasts, tore their hair, and scratched their cheeks, shedding tears of real grief as they bewailed her death’ (Illustrated London News, 1868). An inventory of the Queen’s possessions includes mention of a ‘charm necklace amber leather and silver’. These possessions were sent on to the Secretary of State for India at the India Office, London, and given to the South Kensington (later V&A) Museum the following year.
Collection
Accession number
408-1869

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Record createdDecember 21, 2004
Record URL
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