An exceptionally rare survivor from an age where pageantry and ceremonial were at the nation’s heart, this magnificent throne canopy embodies the temporal power of the monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland in the early 18th century. Supplied by the Great Wardrobe for use by either the Queen herself or one of her ambassadors, this is the earliest known and one of only very few surviving throne canopies from the reign of Queen Anne.

Surviving throne canopies in the care of the Historic Royal Palaces compare closely to the present lot and reveal something of the consistency in practice of the Great Wardrobe from the late 17^th century into the early 18^th century. Indeed the crimson silk damask, referred to in bills as ‘Genoa’ damask, seen on the present canopy is of the same design as that on two throne canopies made for King William III in 1700, currently preserved in the King’s Privy Chamber and King’s Presence Chamber at Hampton Court Palace and a throne canopy made in 1709 and given to Queen Anne's ambassador to Russia Charles Townshend (1674–1738). Fascinatingly, this other known surviving Queen Anne throne canopy, currently preserved in Kensington Palace and previously in the collection of the Marquesses Townshend at Raynham Hall, has several features which differentiate it from the present lot and place it later in Anne’s reign. The four crowned emblems of England, Scotland, Ireland and France on the valances of the present canopy (which has one front and one side valance, with the third lacking) lack the additional lions above crowns flanking the royal monogram that appear on the Kensington Palace Queen Anne canopy and relate more closely to the four national emblems that appear on the William III canopy at Hampton Court Palace. The royal coat of arms on the present canopy is that used by the monarchs of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1603 until the Act of Union in 1707 with the arms of the kingdoms quartered whereas the Kensington Palace canopy, dating to 1709 after the Act of Union, sees the arms of England and Scotland impaled and quartered with those of France and Ireland. There are archival references to 19 throne canopies supplied by the Great Wardrobe after the Act of Union in 1709 and it is likely that the present canopy is one of a similar number made after Anne’s accession in 1702.

With the emblems of royal power worked in gilt and silver thread, this canopy was intended to provide cover to the monarch or her representative in ceremonial audiences. Woven from rich textiles unrivalled in any home or institution in the realm and recalling the triumphs of Ancient Rome as well as the high altars of Christendom, the canopy signified the earthly magnificence of the royal person and their divine right to rule. Whether the sovereign was physically present or not, courtiers would be expected to bow to the throne or portrait before the canopy as an act of respect and reverence. With the cloth of estate against the wall and the valances, tester and cornice above it, the canopy would extend some way into the room which it adorned. Throne canopies had been of great importance for centuries and the Great Wardrobe which provided these textiles and others was a crucial institution of the court with the Master of the Great Wardrobe a position of some prestige. With the transition of reigns and the completion of ambassadorial duties, canopies and other unused furnishings were often given to the ambassadors who had used them and other high-ranking officials of the royal household. Some, like the present example, were later adapted into state beds by the recipients, and examples of these from the Georgian period can be seen at Blickling Hall, Grimsthorpe Castle, Scone Palace and Knole House. Interestingly, the Blickling state bed makes use of a George III throne canopy but the counterpane itself is adapted from another Queen Anne throne canopy dating to after the Act of Union. The borders on the current cloth of state and one valance were added during its adaption to a bed hanging, likely at some point in the second half of the 19^th century.

THE PROVENANCE

The recipient of the canopy after its manufacture is currently unknown and it would have been used either in one of the royal palaces or given to an ambassador for use in a foreign embassy as a symbol of the sovereign. In the 20^th century the canopy was in the collection of Standish Robert Vereker MC, the 7th Viscount Gort (1888- 1975) and was used as a bed hanging at his home Hamsterley Hall in County Durham. The 7^th Viscount Gort was a prolific art collector and connoisseur with a particular interest in the decorative arts and textiles of the 16^th and 17^th centuries. His collection included the Stoke Edith bed, a number of important tapestries and important early furniture. An article detailing the Viscount Gort’s collection of textiles and furniture, The Role of Antiques Today: Furniture and Tapestry at Hamsterley Hall in Country Life on 2 March 1940 makes no mention of the canopy and it might therefore be assumed that it was acquired after this date. The canopy was inherited by the 7^th Viscount’s niece, the late Mrs Catherine Wass. Awarded an OBE in 1995, Catherine was born into the Sidney family of Penshurst Place, one of England’s most important early houses, and was a descendant of William IV and Mrs Jordan.