Four base metal necklace plaques circa 1893.
Category
Jewellery
Date
1893
Materials
Metal
Measurements
89 mm (Length)20 mm (Diameter)
Order this imageCollection
Smallhythe Place, Kent
NT 1117803
Summary
Four base metal necklace plaques circa 1893 each embossed with portrait of either Ellen Terry or Henry Irving in famous character roles.
Full description
Four medallions from a necklace said to have been struck in Chicago in 1893, following one of the Terry/Irving American tours. The medallions depict (a) Sir Henry Irving as 'Mephistofeles', (b) Ellen Terry as 'Margaret', (c) Sir Henry Irving as 'Shylock', and (d) Ellen Terry as 'Olivia'. The whole necklace depicted their most famous roles. Stated to be four medallions from a necklace struck in Chicago in 1893 following one of the Terry/Irving American tours. Formerly the property of Edward Gordon Craig and given to Smallhythe Place by his son Edward Carrick Craig in 1977. Report by John Benjamin Honorary Jewellery Advisor August 2021.
Provenance
Believed to have been owned by or given to Ellen Terry (1847-1928) or her daughter Edith Craig (1869-1947) and came to the National Trust in 1939 when Edith Craig transferred Smallhythe Place (including buildings, land and contents) to the Trust.
Credit line
National Trust (Smallhythe Place)