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| Family coat of arms Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, St Katharine Cree London |
Discovery
of the missing family coat of arms of the monument of
Sir Nicholas Throckmorton
St. Katharine Cree in London
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by Patrick Damiaens Belgian Heraldic and ornamental Woodcarver.
Translation from my dutch woodcarving blog, by Lis Alvarado.
© Information can only be used with written consent
Translation from my dutch woodcarving blog, by Lis Alvarado.
© Information can only be used with written consent
Heraldry is
of my personal interest, I have to say I am not really an expert, but I manage
very well most of the heraldic themes, and I am always happy to learn more
about certain heraldic themes and coats of arms. Heraldry is an art form in
itself and it is very complex. Sometimes I am surprised by the heraldic
knowledge of some heraldic experts in the world.
Antica
Namur 2016
As every
year, I went to Antica in Namur (Belgium), the art and antiques fair in the
exhibition halls at the city's edge. It's not really a "major event"
but has for some years an annual-increasing affordable quality to offer, a
special pretty fair with a growing appreciating audience.
On a stand
of a Flemish art dealer who is also a prominent exhibitor at the Brussels’s
BRAFA attracted immediately my attention to a magnificent alabaster relief. It
stood between paintings, exhibited on a black pedestal and in addition to this
high relief -about 80 cm- was an explanatory text plate affixed by the piece
exhibited. It said it was a German-Austrian alabaster relief from the mid-16th
century. I asked if I could make some photos of this fascinating piece, this
was not a problem the booth owner told me. My gut feeling told me that this was
an alabaster relief of a different origin and I made that remark to the art
dealer; I told him that the relief was likely to be of English origin, and not
German.
This
observation was motivated by my daily researches and investigations as heraldic
sculptor and of course, to the many European heraldic subscriptions to
magazines that I have, so it's quite easier for me to form an idea of all kind
of coats of arms.
These
subscriptions and the readings I do on top of visiting castles and museums,
provides me a better understanding of the complexity and specific details of
this unique art form. Also it gives me the feeling of becoming an even better
heraldic sculptor. So …, the relief was of English origin, I was as good sure
about it.
Back at
home, I sent the image of the alabaster relief to an English friend R. Lichten, who -like
me- thinks that the knowledge of heraldry and history is an interesting and
useful hobby. He answered not long afterwards, and told me that the first
quarter of this alabaster coat of arms was of the English family Throckmorton.
But from whom this coat of arms could have been, that needed to be
investigated. There are indeed a whole bunch of well-known, lesser-known and
prominent members of the Throckmorton family.
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| Throckmorton Family |
I could
tell by the style of the shield, the ornaments and compositions that it was dated
back to the 16th century, as the respectable art dealer told me. So, we could
focus on the name Throckmorton from this period and investigated who this
important person was, just like his brothers. The relief is named in fact for
an important person in this family; this is recognized by the quality and size.
So I found some notable family from this period.
Francis
Throckmorton (1554-1584)
Nicholas
Throckmorton (1515-1571)
John
Throckmorton (1524-1580)
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| Sir Nicholas Throckmorton |
Nicholas
Throckmorton’s coat of arms
The
research was not easy and it was needed to perform a detective’s work to
discover that the original owners of this wonderful family crest. But because
there is a martlet (bird) in a distinguish area on the shield, it became the
key information. This symbol means that -according to the English heraldry- the
alabaster coat of arms should belong to the 4th son in row, and this discovery
made the opening to a much easier research from there.
It was
without a doubt the coat of arms of Nicholas Throckmorton. I was shocked a
little when I was doing the research work on this family and who the person Sir
Nicholas Throckmorton actually was; it was English top-history from the 16th
century. This family played an important role in England during the 16th
century.
Sir
Nicholas Throckmorton (or Throgmorton) (circa 1515/1516 - February 12, 1571)
was an English diplomat and politician, he was ambassador to France and played
an important role in the relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of
Scots.
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| Discovery of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton coat of arms |
Nicholas
Throckmorton was the fourth of eight children of Sir George Throckmorton of
Coughton Court. After Elizabeth I came to the throne in November 1558, Nicholas
Throckmorton rose quickly into the Queen’s favor, mainly because of his
existing personal relationship with her. He advised on the formation of her
government, which she followed and from May 1559 to April 1564 he was
Ambassador to France.
His family
name is mentioned in several plots. In 1569, Throckmorton was suspected of
involvement in the conspiracy against the Duke of Norfolk and spent time locked
up in Windsor Castle but no trial was brought against him, but afterwards he
could not win back the trust of Queen Elizabeth I. He died in 1571.
Coughton
Court
Coughton Court
is the home of the family Throckmorton since 1409. The estate comprises about 10
hectares of the most breathtaking gardens of England. The beautiful farmhouse
has been known of having several owners in 1409 but at a certain moment it came
into the possession of the family Spiney; the name Throckmorton was first
associated with Coughton Court in 1409 when Eleanor Spiney married John
Throckmorton. The title Baronet (“Sir”) assigned to the house Throckmorton was
lost in 1994 after the death of the twelfth Baronet; but the family still
resides at Coughton Court, which now is run by the National Trust word.
It was the
intentions of Clare McLaren- Throckmorton to create a garden that was
appropriate with the line of the house, the gardens that have since the last 15
years its current form; these gardens are still owned and operated by the
Throckmorton family. In 2009, the residence of the Throckmorton family celebrated
its 600th anniversary.
After a
number of e-mails to Rebecca Farr and John Sterry who are part of the
Management of Coughton Court Part, I came to know more about the alabaster coat
of arms that I had seen in Namur, making the story short, this is too complex
for a nice blog entry, but the alabaster coat of arms shows in the first quart
the Throckmorton coat of arms of and the second quart the Spinney last name is
recognizable.
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| Coat of arms Sir Nicholas Throckmorton |
The
monument
In my
internet research I found out that Sir Nicholas Throckmorton died on February
12th, 1571 and is buried in St Katharine Cree parish church in London, but
where exactly is not known. But in his memory a monument was erected in the
church, I found a number of images of the monument on the internet, I’m not
totally sure but it looks as if this monument was made of alabaster too and for
sure it was executed with the same high quality of carving work.
But after a
little more detailed research I encountered some remarkable reference points,
it seemed as if the relief that I saw in Namur and the monument in London
exhibited the same quality in ornamentation, composition and style, "I
would swear ' I thought then, "that the same artist, workshop or creator
must have created it." My discoveries then were followed by many nice
discoveries about the subject.
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| Monument Sir Nicholas Throckmorton 2016 |
Engraving
A late 18th
century book with engravings printed (Antique Prints of London) that I found on
the internet gave the identity of the relief jewel; I could not believe my
eyes. On this copper engravings from 1793 is clearly the alabaster reliefs
visible, but also two smaller coats of arms/shields are visible. Who they are I
do not know, I have already requested information to the management of Coughton
Court but they could not help me.
The picture was not of high quality, it is certain that the little family coat of arms from the right belonged to a woman, as it is in lozenge form. But without a doubt it was a fantastic discovery. Because I had discovered an important historical work, it seemed at the time a good investment.
The picture was not of high quality, it is certain that the little family coat of arms from the right belonged to a woman, as it is in lozenge form. But without a doubt it was a fantastic discovery. Because I had discovered an important historical work, it seemed at the time a good investment.
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| Engraving 1793, Monument sir Nicholas Throckmorton |
Back to the art fair in Namur
With all
the gathered information, I visited Namur again some days later, I was sure
that the relief has been part of the monument to Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, I
even went with the intention of buying it for personal use. A 16th century
historical relief seemed like a better investment than money in the bank. But…
was it stolen?
I could not find anything on the internet about a stolen relief of the monument of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton. Arriving in the exhibition halls in Namur I saw on the stand of the antique dealer that the description disappeared from the site and in the meantime English relief at the exploratory description - had become English family crest. Produced in Antwerp, so a Belgium export product.
The good man recognized me two days after my first visit and I was curious about the resale value of this relief, unfortunately this was too far above my budget.
I could not find anything on the internet about a stolen relief of the monument of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton. Arriving in the exhibition halls in Namur I saw on the stand of the antique dealer that the description disappeared from the site and in the meantime English relief at the exploratory description - had become English family crest. Produced in Antwerp, so a Belgium export product.
The good man recognized me two days after my first visit and I was curious about the resale value of this relief, unfortunately this was too far above my budget.
Christie's
from London
To learn
more about the value of this relief I got in touch with Donald Johnston, he is
the Senior Director and Head of International European Sculpture and Works of
the Art Department of Christie's London. I sent him a file with all my
findings; not long after, I received a reply, and he was very impressed with my
research work and agreed that it was about the missing attachment of the
monument. At that time I received too the valuation at any auction at
Christie's, a good investment would thus be still been there.
Stolen?
Yet I had
still a number of questions, how did the relief got separated from the
monument? How it came to Belgium? who was the previous owner? Is it a lost or
stolen object or a priest of St Katharine Cree in London sold it when he needed
money o for a reason we do not know or …? But quite certainly, the relief
should have never left the church, that's for sure; the monument has great
historical value.
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| St Katharine Cree London |
St
Katharine Cree in London
End of
November 2016; I contacted St Katharine Cree in London, my contact was Phil
Manning, supervisor of the church. I confronted him in an email with a number
of findings about the monument in its current state and engraving from 1793
with attachments. All the other information I gathered felt -at that time-
superfluous. His response was particularly extensive.
The carved
coats of arms shown along the top of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton’s monument in
the print that you have sent me (of which a copy hangs on the wall of the
church) are no longer in place and have certainly not been there at any time
during the 10 years I have been working for St Katharine Cree. This is what he said:
Sir
Nicholas’s monument has been moved at least twice in its history, and my
reasons for saying so are based on the following considerations: the present
building dates from the 1630s (although the tower is 16th-century) and Sir
Nicholas died in February 1571, so his monument cannot be in its original
location; in addition, it is known that in 1929 the monument was located
against the south wall of the south
aisle, but it is now against the east wall in the south aisle – it is believed
that it was moved to its present location in the late 1950s/early 1960s, as offices
were installed in the side aisles at that time. Since the 1929 record mentions
that the entablature of the moment supports “an achievement and two
shields-of-arms”, the monument lost these items at some date after 1929 and I
believe that one very possible explanation for the loss would have been bomb
damage, since we are aware that a stained glass window in the south aisle was
damaged by explosive impact in World War II and this window would have been
close to the monument’s then location.
The
monument is of unpainted stone, which appears to be alabaster (with a
reddish-brown veining). I do not know who made it, but the workmanship is of
high quality and may have been from a workshop in Southwark (perhaps the
Throckmorton family has a record?). As you will know, Bankside in Southwark was
where many Dutch refugees settled in the late 16the century and a monumental
tradition became established – I would love to know more about this!
End.
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| The monument of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton |
My findings
After
receiving this email, I found the time to confront Phil Manning with my
findings, and not long after I got a phone call from him. But before I went further, because I wanted to be sure of how I approach this, I contacted my lawyer. His advice was to record all calls and emails ‘to fall back on, you never know.
Particularly sympathetic from Mr. Manning to congratulate me with the results of my research work and asked if he might know who the antique art dealer was. I did not want to tell him his name because I had -at that time- the intention to purchase the relief itself.
But when he told me that the relief never legally could have left the church because there was never a transfer deed, the most logical reason was looted art, I lost all interest in a purchase. He asked me if he could forward my data and research work to Christopher A Marinello, a British expert in stolen art. Phil Manning also sent me a photo from 1929 where clearly the family crest of Throckmorton is visible, for me it was very clear this historic relief should be returned to its original place.
Particularly sympathetic from Mr. Manning to congratulate me with the results of my research work and asked if he might know who the antique art dealer was. I did not want to tell him his name because I had -at that time- the intention to purchase the relief itself.
But when he told me that the relief never legally could have left the church because there was never a transfer deed, the most logical reason was looted art, I lost all interest in a purchase. He asked me if he could forward my data and research work to Christopher A Marinello, a British expert in stolen art. Phil Manning also sent me a photo from 1929 where clearly the family crest of Throckmorton is visible, for me it was very clear this historic relief should be returned to its original place.
1941
However,
there was another problem: the relief was never officially declared as stolen.
Possibly because the person in charge of the church thought that the relief was
destroyed by the bombing in 1941 (Blitz) and was carried out with the rest of
the debris. Perhaps it is then when it felt into the wrong hands. This is just
a line of thought; evidence for this is not there, but it is certain that it
had not been allowed to leave the church.
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| Discovery of the missing family coat of arms of the monument of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton in St. Katharine Cree in London |
Lost art in
Brussels
There were
a number of ways to remedy the situation: there was the hard way, with lawyers,
lawsuits, etc. .. With a lot of negativity, but a respectable art dealer would
never follow this path if proof is supplied. Another way was to release any
information to the press without informing him in advanced about my intentions,
and this would certainly not have been decent because he knew nothing about
what he had in his possession at the time.
The most
decent way for us both, was to confront the Brussels art dealer
with the evidence I had collected and was able to convince him in this way to
reverse something negative into something positive. He has promised me by phone
to transfer the relief back to the church where it belongs.
The day at brought the art dealer and the lawyer together.
December
8th, 2016 was a very stressful day for me, because I contacted the art dealer
and confronted him with all my detailed findings of the origin of the shield.
Realizing that this was overwhelming information, I gave him a few hours to
process the data.
Two hours
later I gave the English lawyer Christopher A Marinello the contact information of the art dealer and
they got in contact with each other, so my work was done.
Now it was
up to them to decide on the next step on this story; I have set the table ready
for Lawyer Mr. Christopher A Marinello. The easiest part in this plot is now up to him; his only
contribution in my story.
Meanwhile, I notified the Belgian press about my
findings.
Once when I
was looking for advice from some respectable art dealers of the TEFAF (The Art
Fair in Maastricht, NL), one of them told me "if you have ground breaking
news in the art world, make it public as soon as possible, so no other person,
interest or firm will use your work as theirs. "Sometimes the art world is like a full crap basket."
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| https://www.patrickdamiaens.info |
