Anklet
before 1868 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This anklet formerly belonged to Captain Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy (1836-1910). It was donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum by his goddaughter in 1936. Speedy was an army officer and colonial official. In 1860 he travelled to Ethiopia to assist the emperor Tewodros II (Theodore) with military training. Speedy returned in 1868, this time as civilian interpreter to a British military expedition aimed at releasing British subjects held hostage by Tewodros. The expedition ended with the capture of the emperor’s fortress at Maqdala (Magdala), but not before Tewodros had committed suicide. The following death of his wife, Queen Woyzaro Terunesh, left an orphan son, Prince Dejatch Alamayou, to whom the Amharic-speaking Captain became guardian.
It is unclear how Speedy acquired the anklet. Museum documentation suggests that the main part of the anklet is formed of rhinoceros hide but it may be horn. This part has been tipped at both ends with silver, with further silver decoration on the main body.
It is unclear how Speedy acquired the anklet. Museum documentation suggests that the main part of the anklet is formed of rhinoceros hide but it may be horn. This part has been tipped at both ends with silver, with further silver decoration on the main body.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Hide or horn with silver ornament |
| Brief description | Anklet, hide or horn decorated with silver, Ethiopia, before 1868. |
| Physical description | Anklet of rhinoceros hide or horn tipped at both ends with silver, the middle part being bound with a strip of flattened silver wire. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by Mrs Henry Perrin |
| Object history | Accessions register entry: 'Anklet. Silver-mounted. Abyssinian; 19th century. Crescent-shaped, a foundation of rhinoceros-hide tipped at both ends, which are bound together with wire, the middle part being bound with a strip of flattened wire. / Gift. Mrs Henry Perrin, 23 Holland Villas Road, Kensington, W.14.' |
| Subject depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | This anklet formerly belonged to Captain Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy (1836-1910). It was donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum by his goddaughter in 1936. Speedy was an army officer and colonial official. In 1860 he travelled to Ethiopia to assist the emperor Tewodros II (Theodore) with military training. Speedy returned in 1868, this time as civilian interpreter to a British military expedition aimed at releasing British subjects held hostage by Tewodros. The expedition ended with the capture of the emperor’s fortress at Maqdala (Magdala), but not before Tewodros had committed suicide. The following death of his wife, Queen Woyzaro Terunesh, left an orphan son, Prince Dejatch Alamayou, to whom the Amharic-speaking Captain became guardian. It is unclear how Speedy acquired the anklet. Museum documentation suggests that the main part of the anklet is formed of rhinoceros hide but it may be horn. This part has been tipped at both ends with silver, with further silver decoration on the main body. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.443-1936 |
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| Record created | February 7, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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