The "Cheapside Hoard" (Elizabethan Jewellery)

[painshill]

Spent a few days in London and took the opportunity to view the “Cheapside Hoard” – a huge cache of incredibly rare Elizabethan/Jacobean jewellery and antiquities discovered in 1912, which has never been on display as a complete collection before:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheapside_Hoard

Very little quality jewellery of this period has survived since old items tended to be continually broken down and re-made into new pieces as fashions changed. Unfortunately, the dealer known as “Stoney Jack” (George Fabian Lawrence) who originally acquired the items from the labourers that found them is not related to me as far as I know, although my branch of the Lawrence family did hail from that vicinity of London.
There’s a link to a gallery of some of the exhibits in the newspaper article here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...d-8642792.html

[gregszybala]

Quite a story that comes with the collection. The story would be an interesting one to add to your family history Roger.
And the bust of the hairless woman?

[painshill]

gregszybala wrote:

... and the bust of the hairless woman?

  It’s carved from chalcedony. The notorious Medici family of Florence commissioned similar cameos, and the likeness suggests it’s the profile of Marie de Medici. Born in 1575 she technically reigned for one day as Queen of France by virtue of marriage to Henry IV of France. He was assassinated in 1610, the day after Marie’s coronation, although she had married him in 1600. She then acted as regent for her son, King Louis XIII, until he came of age.

[clovisoid]

A lot of completely new stuff for me there, a cool read! (Toadstones?  Now I want one.)

[rmartin]

Those are some amazing pieces of art! Thanks Roger.