Provenance

A gift from Frederica, Duchess of Cumberland (Queen of Hanover) to her nephew Frederick William, later Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Purchased by Queen Mary in October 1922 (with other plate from Mecklenburg-Strelitz).

In October 1922, Queen Mary purchased several items of plate relating to the family of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Her aunt, Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, sister of Queen Mary’s mother, had married into the family in 1843. Queen Mary was particularly close to her aunt, with whom she corresponded frequently. She visited the residence of Neu-Stretlitz several times during her youth and made a final visit in 1904 on the death of her uncle, when she assisted her aunt in the organisation of her collections. Frederick William, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz was therefore Queen Mary’s uncle by marriage. His aunt, Frederica, was the sister of Frederick William’s father, George. She became Queen of Hanover through her marriage to Ernest August, Duke of Cumberland, fifth son of George III, who inherited the title to the Hanoverian throne on the death of William IV. Queen Mary’s almost obsessive collecting of works of art associated with her antecedents was in part due to her peripatetic and impoverished youth and her need to establish her credentials within the royal family. Throughout her life she continued to collect works of art, often of simple design but with some clear family connection.