Large oval pendant with two small white cameo profiles of George III and Queen Charlotte applied to black enamel ovals, mounted on pale blue enamel plaque with applied crown above and entwined rose and thistle below; all within a border of seed pearls. Cypher in gold on reverse.

This pendant is said to have been presented by the King George III and Queen Charlotte to the Hon. Georgiana Townsend (1761-1835), eldest daughter of Thomas, 1st Viscount Sydney, who had, as leader of the House of Commons, taken a prominent role in arranging terms of peace with America in 1783. It was his cousin Charles Townsend who had ignited unrest in the American Colonies by introducing the hated Stamp Act in 1765. Lord Sydney was twice Secretary of State; and in 1790 the newly discovered harbour of Sydney, Australia, was named after him.

Georgiana had known the royal family since she was a young girl and was friendly with the Queen and the Princesses. In 1801 she was appointed to the sinecure of State Housekeeper at Windsor, a position she retained for the remainder of her life. Her residence was the Norman Tower, Windsor Castle. The pendant was among a number of objects acquired by Queen Mary from the sale of the Sydney collection in 1915.

Catalogue entry adapted from George III & Queen Charlotte: Patronage, Collecting and Court Taste, London, 2004