TOGETHER with the rain and Queen Salote, the feature of the last coronation that remains most clearly in my memory is the guard of honour formed by the Queen’s Beasts outside Westminster Abbey. James Woodford’s 10 heraldic figures symbolising the Queen’s ancestry seemed to have emerged from Lewis Carroll’s world into ours and, for this six year old at least, may have helped prompt a lifelong fascination with history. The originals, now brightly coloured, survive in Quebec, Canada, and Woodford’s Portland-stone replicas guard the approach to the Palm House at Kew, but I doubt whether similar beasts will be on parade this time.
However, heraldry plays a significant role in the coronation exhibition that opens on Saturday at the Bristol jeweller, silver and objects-of-art dealer Grey-Harris & Company, 12 Princess Victoria Street, Clifton (www.grey-harris.co.uk). The business was founded in 1968 and has become one of the leading antique dealers in the west of England. On a side- track, I observe that, around the country, a number of businesses of similar standing and with similar stock choose slight variations on British racing green for their shop fronts; could that be a quasiheraldic use of colour to indicate quality and dependability?
Denne historien er fra April 19, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra April 19, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
All gone to pot
Jars, whether elegant in their glazed simplicity or exquisitely painted, starred in London's Asian Art sales, including an exceptionally rare pair that belonged to China's answer to Henry VIII
Food for thought
A SURE sign of winter in our household are evenings in front of the television.
Beyond the beach
Jewels of the natural world entrance the eyes of Steven King, as Jamaica's music moves his feet and heart together
Savour the moment
I HAVE a small table and some chairs a bleary-eyed stumble from the kitchen door that provide me with the perfect spot to enjoy an early, reviving coffee.
Size matters
Architectural Plants in West Sussex is no ordinary nursery. Stupendous specimens of some of the world's most dramatic plants are on display
Paint the town red
Catriona Gray meets the young stars lighting up the London art scene, from auctioneers to artists and curators to historians
The generation game
For a young, growing family, moving in with, or adjacent to, the grandparents could be just the thing
Last orders
As the country-house market winds down for Christmas, two historic properties—one of which was home to the singer Kate Bush-may catch the eye of London buyers looking to move to the country next year
Eyes wide shut
Sleep takes many shapes in art, whether sensual or drunken, deathly or full of nightmares, but it is rarely peaceful. Even slumbering babies can convey anxiety
Piste de résistance
Scotland's last ski-maker blends high-tech materials with Caledonian timber to create 'truly Scottish', one-off pieces of art that can cope with any type of terrain
