Pendant
1817 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This memorial pendant was made in 1817 to commemorate the death of Princess Charlotte. She was the only daughter of the Prince of Wales (the future George IV) and his wife, Caroline of Brunswick. Charlotte had married Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, the future king of the Belgians, in 1816 and died in childbirth the following year. Three locks of her hair have been curled into the shape of Prince of Wales’ feathers. These are mounted in the vase that hangs below the miniature.
A royal coat of arms is enamelled on the reverse, with a mark of cadency, a silver (argent) label of three points, which would have been used on his arms by the Prince Regent to differentiate them from the arms of his father. Charlotte's own arms should have had a rose in the middle of the mark of cadency. However it is difficult to know whether any significance should be attached to the absence of the rose. The arms could indicate that the jewel was made for the Prince Regent, but it may also be that the arms were intended to be those of Charlotte, although lacking the rose. The presence of hair in the pendant urn indicates that the jewel was made for someone in the close circle around Charlotte.
Charlotte Jones was appointed miniature painter to the Princess, and exhibited portraits of her at the Royal Academy in 1808, 1812, 1816 and 1819. This miniature may have been exhibited in 1816. Jones painted a portrait of the same composition in 1814, and the engraver John Samuel Agar published a stipple engraving after this portrait in the same year.
A royal coat of arms is enamelled on the reverse, with a mark of cadency, a silver (argent) label of three points, which would have been used on his arms by the Prince Regent to differentiate them from the arms of his father. Charlotte's own arms should have had a rose in the middle of the mark of cadency. However it is difficult to know whether any significance should be attached to the absence of the rose. The arms could indicate that the jewel was made for the Prince Regent, but it may also be that the arms were intended to be those of Charlotte, although lacking the rose. The presence of hair in the pendant urn indicates that the jewel was made for someone in the close circle around Charlotte.
Charlotte Jones was appointed miniature painter to the Princess, and exhibited portraits of her at the Royal Academy in 1808, 1812, 1816 and 1819. This miniature may have been exhibited in 1816. Jones painted a portrait of the same composition in 1814, and the engraver John Samuel Agar published a stipple engraving after this portrait in the same year.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Gold, enamel, rock crystal, and diamonds set with a miniature and with three small curls of hair under crystal |
| Brief description | Gold with enamel pendant, diamonds, rock crystal and hair under glass, England, 1817-18; depicting Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales, portrait possibly by Charlotte Jones (1768-1847), on the reverse the Royal arms in enamel and pendant inscribed 'PC/ 1817'. |
| Physical description | Gold with enamel, diamonds, rock crystal and hair under glass, the hair is curled in the form of the Prince of Wales’s feathers. Gold pendant set with a miniature portrait of Princess Charlotte. On the reverse the Royal arms in enamel and pendant inscribed PC/ 1817 |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Engraved "PC 1817" |
| Credit line | Given by Dame Joan Evans |
| Object history | Historical significance: Charlotte Augusta was the only child of the Prince of Wales, later George IV, and Caroline of Brunswick. In 1816, she married Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, later the King of the Belgians, and died in childbirth the following year. Here, she wears a white dress, an ermine-lined blue cloak and a coral necklace. Charlotte Jones was appointed miniature painter to the Princess, and exhibited portraits of her at the Royal Academy in 1808, 1812, 1816 and 1819. This miniature may have been exhibited in 1816. Jones painted a portrait of the same composition in 1814, and the engraver John Samuel Agar published a stipple engraving after this portrait in the same year. A letter from Joan Evans on NF 1954-1971, Part II states that her father Sir John Evans bought the pendant at the Duke of Cambridge sale. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This memorial pendant was made in 1817 to commemorate the death of Princess Charlotte. She was the only daughter of the Prince of Wales (the future George IV) and his wife, Caroline of Brunswick. Charlotte had married Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, the future king of the Belgians, in 1816 and died in childbirth the following year. Three locks of her hair have been curled into the shape of Prince of Wales’ feathers. These are mounted in the vase that hangs below the miniature. A royal coat of arms is enamelled on the reverse, with a mark of cadency, a silver (argent) label of three points, which would have been used on his arms by the Prince Regent to differentiate them from the arms of his father. Charlotte's own arms should have had a rose in the middle of the mark of cadency. However it is difficult to know whether any significance should be attached to the absence of the rose. The arms could indicate that the jewel was made for the Prince Regent, but it may also be that the arms were intended to be those of Charlotte, although lacking the rose. The presence of hair in the pendant urn indicates that the jewel was made for someone in the close circle around Charlotte. Charlotte Jones was appointed miniature painter to the Princess, and exhibited portraits of her at the Royal Academy in 1808, 1812, 1816 and 1819. This miniature may have been exhibited in 1816. Jones painted a portrait of the same composition in 1814, and the engraver John Samuel Agar published a stipple engraving after this portrait in the same year. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.82-1969 |
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| Record created | February 11, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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