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Ethiopia

Armlet (bitäwa) 1868

Silver, gold | 15.2 x 12.0 x 11.0 cm (whole object) | RCIN 61588

Grand Vestibule, Windsor Castle

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  • An Abyssinian silver armlet (bitäwa) applied overall with gold filigree work and plain silver studs, with gilt beading on the edges; hinged and held with a pin. Provenance inscription within.

    Armlets of this kind were presented by the emperor to the most successful warriors. They were worn on the right arm.
    Provenance

    Presented to General Sir Robert Napier by Prince Kassa, Ruler of Tigre [then a northern province of Abyssinia] on 26 May 1868; probably given by Napier to Queen Victoria.

    Napier was Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in Abyssinia [modern-day Ethiopia] during the Abyssinia Expedition of 1868. His mission was to rescue a number of Europeans whom Tewodros II had taken captive after the Foreign Office failed to respond to his request for British assistance in defeating his rivals. Among the hostages was the British Consul, Charles Duncan Cameron. Napier and his forces travelled some 400 miles overland from the coast to Tewodros' fortress at Magdala, a two-month journey which demanded careful negotiation with local forces. Prince Kassa was among the rulers in the region who granted Napier's troops free passage in an attempt to augment their own power and influence. Napier and Kassa first met on 24 February 1868, when they inspected one another's troops and exchanged gifts.According to The Times correspondent, Napier gave Kassa a double-barrelled rifle, some jugs and goblets of Bohemian glass and a fine Arab charger. In return Napier was 'invested with a silver-gilt armlet, the sign of a greater warrior. Then the lion's skin and mane, the mark of a fierce fighter in battle, were placed upon his shoulders, a sword was girt upon his side, and a spear and shield for him were handed to one of his staff'. The pair met again on 26 May, when Kassa rode to Senafe with a force of 300 men to congratulate Napier on his victory against Tewodros. In gratitude for Kassa's support, Napier presented him with 1,500 muzzle-loading muskets, 400,000 rounds of cartridges and six pieces of artillery (Henry Stanley, Coomassie and Magdala: the story of two British Campaigns in Africa, 1876, p.495).

    On his return to England, Napier had several audiences with Queen Victoria. On one occasion, the queen noted in her Journal that he 'showed me very curious gauntlets, of very ancient make, given him by the Chiefs' (QVJ, 13 July 1868).

  • Medium and techniques

    Silver, gold

    Measurements

    15.2 x 12.0 x 11.0 cm (whole object)

  • Place of Production

    Ethiopia


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