Posters of original research, analyses, insights etc retain all rights to their work.
Such research etc cannot be used in any format without the written consent of the author.
I found the answer in the list of those sitting in the royal box which Laura M had provided on the RJWMB, which Janet gave us the link to.
She was then Lady Rose Leveson Gower, later Countess Granville. She was one of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's sisters.
I suspect that for the 1937 Coronation Lady Rose wore a tiara belonging to her sister-in-law, the then Countess Granville.
I haven't found a photo of Nina Baring, Countess Granville wearing the tiara, but I did find the following description of a tiara she wore in 1934 at a ball given in honour of the then Princess Juliana of the Netherlands.
I think the description above fits the tiara worn by Lady Rose.
The other Granville tiara
Posted by mauriz on July 30, 2020, 7:15 pm, in reply to "Countess Granville"
Congratulations, Beth! The description certainly fits the tiara worn by Lady Rose.
Lady Rose's mother-in-law, Castila (in some sources: Castalia) Rosalind, Dowager Countess Granville, owned a very unique second tiara which is now together with its accompanying necklace and earrings in the collection of the British Museum.
»In 1884, Lord Granville (George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, 181591), as Foreign Secretary, concluded the Anglo-Portuguese trade treaty regarding the Congo River basin. According to family tradition, the Portuguese ambassador wished to mark the treaty by presenting a piece of beetle jewellery to Lady Granville (Castalia Rosalind, Countess Granville, 18471938). Lord Granville refused this offer, presumably fearing it could be seen as bribery, but permitted his wife to accept the beetles, which he then had mounted for her. He chose the London jewellers Phillips Brothers & Son, known for their recreations of historic jewels and archaeological discoveries.«
Parure of tiara, necklace and earrings formed of dried South American weevils (lamprocyphus augustus) with iridescent green wing cases, mounted in gold in the Egyptian taste with lotus motifs. On the necklace and earrings, the lotuses are interspersed with tiny gold rods ending in black enamel beads.
That is an amazing parure. Many thanks for the photos and information Mauriz!
I wonder what treatment the beetles were given to prevent them from decaying or being eaten by other insects? Because of the colour of the weevils, I find this set more appealing than Queen Alexandra's scarab suite,
Thank you Beth! Yes, I was wondering about that tiara and it's wearer. It looks like a nice full and well-balanced tiara. I, personally, LOVE these slightly obscure tiaras!
Previous Message
Below are some more photos showing other tiaras worn by the Countesses.
on July 30, 2020, 4:59 pm
Previous Message