Lot 1
A turquoise bangle, circa 1835
Of Royal Interest
Auction: 22 April 2026 from 14:00 BST
Description
The polished hinged bangle finely engraved with foliate detail throughout, the central repoussé motif set with an oval cabochon turquoise, between realistically modelled lizard decorations, inscribed “Given to me by her Majesty Queen Victoria, Nov. 15th 1837, R.E.R” to the inside, inner diameter 5.4cm
Provenance
In her diary on Wednesday, 15th of November 1837, the young Queen Victoria wrote, “After breakfast… saw… Ly Tavistock with her little step sister-in-law, Ly Rachel Russell, a delightful child of 11, who sang a little Scotch song very nicely. I gave her a small bracelet.”
Lady Rachel Evelyn Russell (1826-1898) was the daughter of Georgiana, Duchess of Bedford. There is ambiguity as to who her father was. Her mother was married to John Russell, the 6th Duke of Bedford however she was known to have had an affair with the artist Edwin Landseer, 21 years her junior. Many contemporaries believed he was in fact Rachel's father. There are several surviving works by Landseer featuring Lady Rachel as a young child.
In 1856, Lady Rachel married James Butler, the 1st Marquess of Ormonde, they had four children together. Lady Rachel Butler became a novelist and wrote two books: Jessie Cameron: A Highland Story (1857) and The Prophecy (1862).
Acquired by the grandfather of the current vendor.
Footnote
Reptiles were prevalent in Victorian jewellery. Although snakes and salamanders (representing rebirth) are more frequently seen, lizards also featured in rare surviving Victorian examples from this period. Lizards held connotations of good fortune. Queen Victoria herself was famously gifted an ouroboros (a snake consuming it's own tail) as an engagement ring designed by Prince Albert. The trend for naturalism in jewellery, lead by the Romantic movement, was just commencing at this time. It appears that the young Queen, who was a known prolific giver of jewellery, was very much at the forefront of this trend in jewellery design.