The ‘Eltham Palace’ diamond- and gem-set brooches

In the mid-1930s the Courtaulds restored and made new additions to the palace to make it a stylish modern home. As part of this project, they repaired the great hall, which had been constructed in the 1470s during Edward IV’s reign. Among their additions to the hall is a stained-glass window of 1936 displaying Edward’s cyphers. The same cyphers are repeated in the brooches completed in 1937.

Cartier was especially fashionable in the 1930s, with the jeweller’s brooches proving particularly appealing thanks to the variety of ways in which they could be worn. Cartier’s fine craftsmanship can be seen in the representations of Edward IV’s falcon device in diamonds on one brooch and the White Rose of York on a starburst – known as a rose-en-soleil – on the other.

The Courtaulds entertained lavishly at Eltham, and it’s likely that Virginia wore these brooches at the couple’s parties. During the Second World War they left the house, taking all their possessions with them. Since 1995 Eltham has been managed by English Heritage, which aims to display it as it was during the Courtaulds’ time. These brooches now provide an evocative symbol of this glamorous period in the building’s history.

This work was acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.