Panel thumbnail 1
Panel thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 57

Panel

1590-1600 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
Royal coats of arms decorated not only the palaces of monarchs but also the buildings, public or private, of their loyal subjects. They were mostly painted and were often placed next to those of the institution, perhaps a guild hall, school or university college, or indeed those of the owner of a private house. They were positioned where they could be seen, above a doorway, at the top of the panelling of a chamber or on the minstrels' gallery in a dining hall. Larger versions were placed over chimney-pieces. In this example the ornamental frame was probably added at a much later date, so that it could be hung on a wall as if it were a picture.

Materials & Makings
The traces of paint and gesso (a thin layer of plaster) indicate that the coat of arms was originally coloured and gilded, so as to stand out. This decoration was probably removed by the 1890s, when dealers and collectors associated objects made in the reigns of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) and James I (1603-1625) with a dark-stained finish.

Time
The coat of arms is decorated with strapwork decoration. This was based on strips of leather or ribbons and became known in England through engravings by Netherlandish artists such as Hans Vredeman de Vries (1527-?1606), Jacob Floris (1524-1582) and Cornelius Bos (around 1510-1555). It was widely used until about 1630.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Carved oak, with traces of paint and gesso
Brief description
Royal arms carved in a panel, England, 1590-1600 with later frame
Physical description
Panel, of plane wood, carved with the Royal Arms of England surmounted by a crown and supported by two cupids.

16th century. (The oak frame is of later date.)
From catalogue H. 14 in., W. 15 ¼ in.
(H. 35.6 cm, W. 38.7 cm)
Dimensions
  • Height: 35.4cm
  • Width: 38.7cm
  • Depth: 6cm
Dimensions checked: measured; 12/03/1999 by DW
Gallery label
British Galleries: This panel shows the royal arms of England as they were between about 1410 and 1603. They are divided into four sections ('quarterings'). Two show the three lions of England and two show simplified lilies, for France. They represent a claim to the French throne that was not finally dropped until 1801.(27/03/2003)
Object history
Bought for £41 17s 11d from the collection of Mr. G. W. Braikenridge (Christie's, Feb. 27, 1908, lot 113).
Historical context
George Weare Braikenridge, from whose collection this panel was purchased in 1908 (some decades after his death), was a West India merchant and slave-owner. He was, with business partners John Braikenridge and Richard Honnywill, awarded £2911 in compensation for 157 enslaved people on Bagdale Estate and Fullerswood Pen in Jamaica and also held mortgages on several other Jamaican estates.
(Taken from research carried out into the provenance of V&A objects by Hannah Young c2018)
Production
Frame made later
Subjects depicted
Summary
Object Type
Royal coats of arms decorated not only the palaces of monarchs but also the buildings, public or private, of their loyal subjects. They were mostly painted and were often placed next to those of the institution, perhaps a guild hall, school or university college, or indeed those of the owner of a private house. They were positioned where they could be seen, above a doorway, at the top of the panelling of a chamber or on the minstrels' gallery in a dining hall. Larger versions were placed over chimney-pieces. In this example the ornamental frame was probably added at a much later date, so that it could be hung on a wall as if it were a picture.

Materials & Makings
The traces of paint and gesso (a thin layer of plaster) indicate that the coat of arms was originally coloured and gilded, so as to stand out. This decoration was probably removed by the 1890s, when dealers and collectors associated objects made in the reigns of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) and James I (1603-1625) with a dark-stained finish.

Time
The coat of arms is decorated with strapwork decoration. This was based on strips of leather or ribbons and became known in England through engravings by Netherlandish artists such as Hans Vredeman de Vries (1527-?1606), Jacob Floris (1524-1582) and Cornelius Bos (around 1510-1555). It was widely used until about 1630.
Bibliographic reference
From: H. Clifford Smith, Catalogue of English Furniture & Woodwork (London 1930), 659
Collection
Accession number
115-1908

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
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