Author(s): Anna Keay

Fashion & Jewellery

This sumptuous book captures the magnificence of a collection of symbolic objects steeped in English history like no other: the Crown Jewels. From the 12th-century spoon used for the anointing at the coronation to the platinum crown created for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1937, their story is that of the English monarchy itself. Published in association with the "Royal Collection" and "Historic Royal Palaces", the book features dazzling new photography, including many detailed shots and two gatefold pages, allowing individual pieces, gems and carefully selected groups of objects to be viewed as never before. Based on original research and written by an expert in English court history, the book tells the story of the development of the collection from the medieval period onwards. Anyone with either a professional or a personal interest in jewelry or English history will find "The Crown Jewels" a delight. This special edition of "The Crown Jewels" consists of a specially bound copy of Anna Keay's book together with a faithful reproduction of Joseph Robins' panoramic representation of Queen Victoria's Coronation Procession in Westminister Abbey on 28 June 1838. The two items are presented together in an elegant case. The fold-out panorama, which is 4 inches high by 10 feet long, shows the young Queen and well-known figures of the time, many carrying pieces of the regalia. The original copy, which is held in the British Library at Windsor Castle, would have been as coveted in the days before photography as it will be today, reproduced for the first time in over 170 years.