ENGLISH, SECOND HALF 17TH CENTURY | Pendant with a Portrait of Charles I

Inventory, 1949 'RELIQUARY, oval rock crystal with silver gilt figure of Charles 1^st, in pendant with blister pearl, gold and enamel bead chain' in the Strong Room

From the time of the king's execution in 1649 relics were secretly commissioned for his devoted followers. Memorial portraits of the Martyred king were inspired by the portraits of Charles I after John Roettiers (1631-1703) and Thomas Rawlins and of course the triple portrait by Van Dyck. Various exhibitions including such relics were curated in the late 19th and into the 20th century including that at the Memorial Hall, Manchester in 1883, Huddersfield in 1883, Cambridge in 1911, at Lansdowne House, London in 1930, and most recently the Royal Academy in 2018.