Arm Defence thumbnail 1
Arm Defence thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Arm Defence

before 1868 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This arm guard was presented to the South Kensington Museum (later V&A) by the Foreign Office in 1868. It had formerly been given to a British civil servant, Hormuzd Rassam, by the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II (Theodore). In 1864, frustrated by a lack of communication from Queen Victoria’s government, Tewodros had taken a number of Europeans captive, including the British consul, Captain Duncan Cameron. Rassam, who had been serving as a political agent in Aden (Yemen), was assigned the dangerous mission of delivering a letter from Queen Victoria to Tewodros which sought the captives’ release. Rassam, however, was also captured and remained at Tewodros’ Maqdala (Magdala) mountain fortress until 1868 when a British military expedition defeated the emperor’s forces. Shortly afterwards Tewodros committed suicide.

Throughout his incarceration, Rassam remained on relatively good terms with the Ethiopian emperor and the gift of this arm guard reflects the esteem held for him by his captor.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver, ornamented with silver gilt filigree
Brief description
Arm defence, Silver ornamented with silver gilt filigree and coloured stones, Ethiopia, before 1868
Physical description
Arm Guard. Silver ornamented with silver gilt filigree and coloured stones. Hinged on both sides. 6 silver filigree bosses around the edge on each side. Central stone in mount, blue one side, green the other.
Dimensions
  • Height: 15.2cm
  • (at widest point) diameter: 11.2cm
  • (at narrowest point) diameter: 5.9cm
Credit line
Presented by the Foreign Office
Object history
Accessions register entry: 'Arm Guard. Silver ornamented with silver gilt filigree and coloured stones. / Presented by Theodoro, King of Abyssinia to Mr Hormuzd Rassam; in red leather case. Modern Abyssinian. Presented by the Foreign Office. Date of receipt from stores 13th July 1868.'
Subject depicted
Association
Summary
This arm guard was presented to the South Kensington Museum (later V&A) by the Foreign Office in 1868. It had formerly been given to a British civil servant, Hormuzd Rassam, by the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II (Theodore). In 1864, frustrated by a lack of communication from Queen Victoria’s government, Tewodros had taken a number of Europeans captive, including the British consul, Captain Duncan Cameron. Rassam, who had been serving as a political agent in Aden (Yemen), was assigned the dangerous mission of delivering a letter from Queen Victoria to Tewodros which sought the captives’ release. Rassam, however, was also captured and remained at Tewodros’ Maqdala (Magdala) mountain fortress until 1868 when a British military expedition defeated the emperor’s forces. Shortly afterwards Tewodros committed suicide.

Throughout his incarceration, Rassam remained on relatively good terms with the Ethiopian emperor and the gift of this arm guard reflects the esteem held for him by his captor.
Collection
Accession number
847-1868

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJanuary 30, 2008
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest