The Prince Rupert-of-the-Rhine Box
An extraordinary reliquary box of great historical importance — silver-mounted, with a body made from a beam of timber taken from Prince Rupert’s Cottage at Windsor. The cottage was demolished in the 1820s, and beams from the structure were fashioned into commemorative boxes. This example was acquired by a Hamilton family of the Western District in the mid-20th century.
Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1619–1682)
Prince Rupert of the Rhine was one of the most remarkable figures of the 17th century — nephew of King Charles I, royalist cavalry commander of genius in the English Civil War, later Lord High Admiral, and a distinguished scientist who introduced mezzotint engraving to England. His connections to the Royal Family and to Windsor made his cottage a place of historical pilgrimage.
The Silver Mounts — The Maker’s Mark
The maker’s hallmark ‘IW’ was attributed by Alstons & Hallam to ‘John Wakelyn’, dated c.1735, when it was sold in 1938. However, this attribution is problematic — John Wakelyn (Wakelin) appears to have been born in the 1750s, active only c.1776–1805. Several alternative attributions have been proposed: John Watson (Sheffield, 1790s), John Wakefield (London, 1820s), or most intriguingly — given the design theme — John Walker of Aberdeen, active 1713–1727.
The Box
