Presents mentioned in Ricardian novel Some Touch of Pity

More years ago than I like to admit, I read Some Touch of Pity by
Rhoda Edwards. In this Richard makes several purchases. When he
returns to Middleham at the beginning of 1483 he distributes gifts.
Edward of Middleham receives a book. He reads a passage about
Hannibal and the elephants to Richard. Richard gives Anne a rosary
and an eagle stone bracelet. Anne, as narrator, says that this has
stones within stones and that it is supposed to help a woman
conceive. (I presume it's almost a sympathetic magic charm, as a
stone within a stone parallels a baby inside its mother.)

Later, in 1484, after the death of Edward of Middleham, while the
court is at Scarborough, Richard buys Anne tapestries for her
chamber. They depict a beautiful lady and have lots of flowers on
them. IIRC they are called/dedicated A Mon Seul Désir. (I think the
tapestry sounds like a typical medieval tapestry, which are imitated
today by mille fleur designs.)

I believe Some Touch of Pity was quite historically accurate, so does
anyone know if Richard really did purchase these things?

Was the book given to Edward the copy of Vegetius in English that
Richard is known to have owned?

IIRC didn't Richard buy items from Edward/Edmund Shaa, the goldsmith
who was later Lord Mayor during the Protectorate, and brother to
Ralph Shaa the preacher? Were these the same as the presents that
Richard gives to Anne at the beginning of the book?

Thanks.

Joanne

My feeling is that the book is very definitely a reference to the copy of Vegetius that Richard is known to have had. I don't know about the other items.

Ann

jotwo2003 <jsummerill@...> wrote:

More years ago than I like to admit, I read Some Touch of Pity by
Rhoda Edwards. In this Richard makes several purchases. When he
returns to Middleham at the beginning of 1483 he distributes gifts.
Edward of Middleham receives a book. He reads a passage about
Hannibal and the elephants to Richard. Richard gives Anne a rosary
and an eagle stone bracelet. Anne, as narrator, says that this has
stones within stones and that it is supposed to help a woman
conceive. (I presume it's almost a sympathetic magic charm, as a
stone within a stone parallels a baby inside its mother.)

Later, in 1484, after the death of Edward of Middleham, while the
court is at Scarborough, Richard buys Anne tapestries for her
chamber. They depict a beautiful lady and have lots of flowers on
them. IIRC they are called/dedicated A Mon Seul Désir. (I think the
tapestry sounds like a typical medieval tapestry, which are imitated
today by mille fleur designs.)

I believe Some Touch of Pity was quite historically accurate, so does
anyone know if Richard really did purchase these things?

Was the book given to Edward the copy of Vegetius in English that
Richard is known to have owned?

IIRC didn't Richard buy items from Edward/Edmund Shaa, the goldsmith
who was later Lord Mayor during the Protectorate, and brother to
Ralph Shaa the preacher? Were these the same as the presents that
Richard gives to Anne at the beginning of the book?

Thanks.

Joanne




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--- In , "jotwo2003"
<jsummerill@s...> wrote:
>
> More years ago than I like to admit, I read Some Touch of Pity by
> Rhoda Edwards. In this Richard makes several purchases. When he
> returns to Middleham at the beginning of 1483 he distributes
gifts.
> Edward of Middleham receives a book. He reads a passage about
> Hannibal and the elephants to Richard. Richard gives Anne a rosary
> and an eagle stone bracelet. Anne, as narrator, says that this has
> stones within stones and that it is supposed to help a woman
> conceive. (I presume it's almost a sympathetic magic charm, as a
> stone within a stone parallels a baby inside its mother.)
>
> Later, in 1484, after the death of Edward of Middleham, while the
> court is at Scarborough, Richard buys Anne tapestries for her
> chamber. They depict a beautiful lady and have lots of flowers on
> them. IIRC they are called/dedicated A Mon Seul Désir. (I think
the
> tapestry sounds like a typical medieval tapestry, which are
imitated
> today by mille fleur designs.)
>
> I believe Some Touch of Pity was quite historically accurate, so
does
> anyone know if Richard really did purchase these things?
>
> Was the book given to Edward the copy of Vegetius in English that
> Richard is known to have owned?
>
> IIRC didn't Richard buy items from Edward/Edmund Shaa, the
goldsmith
> who was later Lord Mayor during the Protectorate, and brother to
> Ralph Shaa the preacher? Were these the same as the presents that
> Richard gives to Anne at the beginning of the book?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Joanne

I don't know about the other items, but the tapestry set she
describes in the book is very very clearly the 'Lady and the Unicorn'
series which is now in the Musee de Cluny in Paris. I'm not sure
whether Rhoda Edwards saw various identical sets having been produced
only one of which has survived, or is imagnining that these very
tapestries might once have been owned by Richard.

Marie

--- In , "mariewalsh2003"
<marie@r...> wrote:
>
> --- In , "jotwo2003"
> <jsummerill@s...> wrote:
> >
>
> >
> > Later, in 1484, after the death of Edward of Middleham, while the
> > court is at Scarborough, Richard buys Anne tapestries for her
> > chamber. They depict a beautiful lady and have lots of flowers
on
> > them. IIRC they are called/dedicated A Mon Seul Désir. (I think
> the
> > tapestry sounds like a typical medieval tapestry, which are
> imitated
> > today by mille fleur designs.)

[Marie said[

I don't know about the other items, but the tapestry set she
> describes in the book is very very clearly the 'Lady and the
Unicorn'
> series which is now in the Musee de Cluny in Paris. I'm not sure
> whether Rhoda Edwards saw various identical sets having been
produced
> only one of which has survived, or is imagnining that these very
> tapestries might once have been owned by Richard.
>
If this is the same tapestry as the one often called The Hunt of the
Unicorn, here is a link to a site which shows each panel and give a
good deal of information.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medny/albertini2.html

Katy

--- In , oregonkaty
<no_reply@y...> wrote:
>
> --- In , "mariewalsh2003"
> <marie@r...> wrote:
> >
> > --- In , "jotwo2003"
> > <jsummerill@s...> wrote:
> > >
> >
> > >
> > > Later, in 1484, after the death of Edward of Middleham, while
the
> > > court is at Scarborough, Richard buys Anne tapestries for her
> > > chamber. They depict a beautiful lady and have lots of flowers
> on
> > > them. IIRC they are called/dedicated A Mon Seul Désir. (I
think
> > the
> > > tapestry sounds like a typical medieval tapestry, which are
> > imitated
> > > today by mille fleur designs.)
>
> [Marie said[
>
> I don't know about the other items, but the tapestry set she
> > describes in the book is very very clearly the 'Lady and the
> Unicorn'
> > series which is now in the Musee de Cluny in Paris. I'm not sure
> > whether Rhoda Edwards saw various identical sets having been
> produced
> > only one of which has survived, or is imagnining that these very
> > tapestries might once have been owned by Richard.
> >
> If this is the same tapestry as the one often called The Hunt of
the
> Unicorn, here is a link to a site which shows each panel and give a
> good deal of information.
>
> http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medny/albertini2.html
>
> Katy

Sadly, no. They're known as The Lady and the Unicorn, or in French La
Dame a la Licorne. Here's a link which I hope works:-

www.musee-moyenage.fr/pages/page_id18368_u1/2.htm

Marie

In Richard III and the princes in the tower, paperback edition 2002
p. 189, A.J. Pollard writes that "the magnificence of his
[Richard's] life-style can be guessed from the jewels and silver
vessels bought in 1473 from the goldsmith Jacob Faslard and charged
to the account of the receiver of Middleham; in the furs and other
costly clothes bought for the duke and his 'most dearly beloved
consort' of a Christmas shopping spree in London in Dec 1476; in the
lavish celebrations of Christmas in 1484" etc.
I didn't find elsewhere any mention of specific gifts made by
Richard; I can guess that Rhoda Edwards simply invented some kind of
gifts that could sound realistic.
Cecilia

--- In , "jotwo2003"
<jsummerill@s...> wrote:
>
> More years ago than I like to admit, I read Some Touch of Pity by
> Rhoda Edwards. In this Richard makes several purchases. When he
> returns to Middleham at the beginning of 1483 he distributes
gifts.
> Edward of Middleham receives a book. He reads a passage about
> Hannibal and the elephants to Richard. Richard gives Anne a
rosary
> and an eagle stone bracelet. Anne, as narrator, says that this
has
> stones within stones and that it is supposed to help a woman
> conceive. (I presume it's almost a sympathetic magic charm, as a
> stone within a stone parallels a baby inside its mother.)
>
> Later, in 1484, after the death of Edward of Middleham, while the
> court is at Scarborough, Richard buys Anne tapestries for her
> chamber. They depict a beautiful lady and have lots of flowers on
> them. IIRC they are called/dedicated A Mon Seul Désir. (I think
the
> tapestry sounds like a typical medieval tapestry, which are
imitated
> today by mille fleur designs.)
>
> I believe Some Touch of Pity was quite historically accurate, so
does
> anyone know if Richard really did purchase these things?
>
> Was the book given to Edward the copy of Vegetius in English that
> Richard is known to have owned?
>
> IIRC didn't Richard buy items from Edward/Edmund Shaa, the
goldsmith
> who was later Lord Mayor during the Protectorate, and brother to
> Ralph Shaa the preacher? Were these the same as the presents that
> Richard gives to Anne at the beginning of the book?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Joanne

Joanne wrote:

> Richard gives Anne a rosary and an eagle
> stone bracelet. Anne, as narrator, says that this has
> stones within stones and that it is supposed to help a woman
> conceive. (I presume it's almost a sympathetic magic charm, as a
> stone within a stone parallels a baby inside its mother.)
>
> I believe Some Touch of Pity was quite
> historically accurate, so does anyone know
> if Richard really did purchase these things?

Ann:
The rosary, IIRC from the book -- and it HAS been many years --
was probably one of the fabulous Flemish boxwood carved rosaries,
with the individual beads able to be opened to show intricate
miniature carvings of the Nativity, Crucifixion, and so on. I
remember seeing one in all its glory many years ago. I have a vague
recollection that it was in a London museum, perhaps the Wallace
collection. A later version made for Henry VIII and Catherine of
Aragon is now at Chatsworth, and a single bead at the Peabody Museum
of Salem, Massachusetts [ http://www.cardcow.com/product.php?
productid=11400&cat=63808&page=1 ].

The eagle stone turns up with this definition: A magical stone
composed of oxide of iron with a little silex and alumina, supposedly
found in the nest, neck or stomach of an eagle, that was thought to
offer protection in childbirth, among other magical and medical
properties. The stone is big with another inside it, which rattles,
as if in a jar when you shake it. It should be worn bound to the arm
to prevent abortion, and on the thigh to aid parturition. Also known
as Aquilaeus and Aetites.

L.P.H.,

Ann