PRICELESS RELICS

Otago Witness, Issue 3743, 8 December 1925, Page 25

PRICELESS RELICS

DISPLAY IN BRITSH COURT. The Britsh Court is a treasure house in many ways. It is rich in priceless relics, and it is rich in romance. Here one may see objects that are unique in the world of art. It is extremely doubtful if many New Zealanders have been privleged to inspect any of the royal plate, but now a visit to the Imperial Court will be sufficient to appease any curiosity in that directon, for replicas of some of his Majesty’s most valuable plate can be seen here. Each piece has a history woven round it, and the whole collection is composed of royal heirlooms whch date back to Charles II and William 111. Of special interest is the Ampulla, a gold bird used at coronation services for anointing the head of the new Sovereign. The bird’s head screws off, and the body is filled wth the anointing oil, which trickles through the nostrils and mouth. Other specimens of royal plate are those used to-day at Windsor, these being beautiful wine fountains, caskets, etc., with ornate sculpture, all in gold, and various other plate of wonderful design. Two or three heavy silver worked tables are relics of Charles H and William UL

Other objets d’srt includo a case of early English silver work, and among these a cup and cover dated 1607 stands out as an example of superb artistry. Then there is a wassail horn, the property of Queen’s College, Oxford. Wassail was the Saxon toast, and in its observance there was a store of tradition. It is interesting to note, in this connection, that it was wassail that gave the peculiar name of “Pig and Whistle” to many old inns that stand in England to-day. The popular conception is that some artist happend to paint a pig and a whistle on the signboard, but, according to Captain Moore, one of the Imperial Government officers, the origin dates back to the Saxon period, when the toast was “Pica Wassail.” Pig and Whistle is a corruption. Relics of ancient London are plentiful. There are Roman flagons, found under the great city ,and there are costrels—travellers’ flasks with loops, and made in the shape of gourds. One of the most remarkable exhibits of this era is a piece of water pipe made from the hollowed trunks of the elm. It consists of two sections fitted together Lke a telescope, and. for all its centuries, it is still in an almost perfect state of preservation. The development of the spur is demonstrated by a series of specimens dating back to the Roman period, and various Roman writing instruments are also on view. One of these is an iron stili for writing on wax. Feminine toilet articles scent spoons, etc., all beautifully designed, serve to show the extraordinarily high stage of civilisation that must have existed. These articles would not have been on the market unless the people were actually living lives of leisure and culture.