This auction has ended. View lot details
You may also be interested in
Lady Hamilton's seed pearl and banded agate demi parure, circa 1800
Sold for £18,000 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistLady Hamilton's seed pearl and banded agate demi parure, circa 1800
Footnotes
By family repute, this demi-parure was presented by the Queen of Naples to Lady Hamilton. She in turn gave it to Mrs H Cadogen, wife of the British Consul at Calais. It was purchased in 1821 from Mrs Cadogen by Mrs Roberts and has subsequently passed through the family to the current owner. Accompanied by several handwritten notes supporting this succession and a newspaper article from The Standard dated October 21, 1905, further corroborating the provenance.
Emma arrived in Naples in 1786 as mistress to Sir William Hamilton, whom she married in 1791. She rapidly became a friend and close confidante to Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples, and remained so until the Hamiltons left in 1800. Lady Hamilton was befriended by the Cadogans in Calais, where she was living in poverty after fleeing England and her debts, Cadogan trying unsuccessfully to persuade the Government to give her a State pension.
