NELSONS PURSE - Hardcover

Downer, Martyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593051807 ISBN 13: 9780593051801

Publisher: Bantam Press, 2004

Synopsis

At the beginning on July 2002, Sotheby's announced to the world the discovery of a major cache of material relating to the life of England's greatest naval hero, Horatio Nelson. The man who made this extraordinary find and who subsequently spent over a year of his life validating the material and placing it in the context of Nelson's life and relationships was Martyn Downer, Head of Jewellery at Sotheby's in London. The contents of this once-in-a-lifetime discovery are remarkable - some objects were thought to have been lost, others had previously never been known to have existed. A mongst the latter is a remarkable archive of letters from Nelson's jilted wife, Fanny, detailing the breakdown of their marriage. For the first time, thanks to this find, Fanny's role in Nelson's life acquires real biographical substance. Also in the find are medals, swords, jewellery (including a stunning diamond brooch with the initials H and N gifted to Emma Hamilton), porcelain, weaponry, and other papers and letters (including some emotive letters by Emma and Nelson himself) which shed fascinating new light on Nelson's domestic affairs. Most dramatically, the cache also includes the bloodstained purse Nelson was carrying on the day he was shot on board HMS Victory in 1805, still containing its gold coins. Martyn Downer tells the extraordinary historical detective story behind this great find and its progress from discovery to auction. It is a story which reveals the intimate life of Nelson, his wife and his mistress in a way which has hitherto been denied to biographers.

About this title

About the Author

Martyn Downer grew up surrounded by art and antiques as his father owned a provincial auction house and he spent his school holidays working there as a porter. He started his career in the art business working for an antique jeweller in London's West End before joining Sotheby's as a junior specialist in 1993. Over the following ten years, Martyn sourced jewellery from around the world for Sotheby's auctions in New York, London and Geneva. In that time Sotheby's sold many important single collections of jewellery, notably those of Elton John and Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and - in 1994 - the single most valuable jewel ever sold at auction, a 100.1 carat diamond which fetched $16m.Martyn was Head of Jewellery at Sotheby's in London from 1999 to 2003. He regularly lectures on the subject and contributes articles to art and antiques magazines. He lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife, who is a painter, and their three young children.

From the Back Cover

At the beginning of July 2002, Sotheby's announced to the world the discovery of a major cache of material relating to the life of England's greatest naval hero, Horatio Nelson. The man who made this extraordinary find and who subsequently spent over a year validating the material and placing it in the context of Nelson's life was Martyn Downer.
Some of the objects that make up this remarkable collection were thought to have been lost; others were hitherto completely unknown, such as a moving archive of letters from Nelson's jilted wife, Fanny, detailing the breakdown of their marriage. For the first time, thanks to this find, Fanny's role in Nelson's life acquires real biographical substance. The cache also included medals, swords, jewellery (including a stunning diamond brooch gifted to Emma Hamilton), porcelain, weaponry, and other papers and letters (including some emotive letters by Emma and Nelson himself) which shed fascinating new light on Nelson's domestic affairs. Most dramatically, Downer also discovered the bloodstained purse Nelson was carrying on the day he was shot on board HMS Victory in 1805, still containing its gold coins.
Martyn Downer here tells the extraordinary historical detective story behind this great find and its progress from discovery to auction. As he tells it, we come to know Nelson, his wife and his mistress in intimate detail. Rarely, if ever, before in history books have Nelson and his associates been brought so vividly and palpably to life.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bantam Press
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0593051807
• ISBN 13: 9780593051801
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 329