Wendy
-----Original Message-----
From: Sidney-Spenser Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Germaine Warkentin
Sent: Thursday, 27 May 2010 1:03 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Royal Costumery
Well, I know a little bit about Elizabeth I's regalia, but not about the
current Queen's. However, I can tell you that the form of the crown she
is wearing has a long history. It is known as an "Imperial" crown, and
was used long before Britain had what we think of as the modern British
Empire. We had a production of the opera "Maria Stuarda" here a couple
of weeks ago. Gorgeous costumes, but they made the mistake of putting
Maria, on the way to her execution, in an imperial crown, instead of the
crown of a queen of France. You might think there was a point being
made, but I doubt that the designer knew the difference! Germaine
--
***********************************************************************
Germaine Warkentin // English (Emeritus), University of Toronto
[log in to unmask]
http://www.individual.utoronto.ca/germainew/
"The primary rule of intellectual life: when puzzled,
it never hurts to read the primary documents" (Stephen Jay Gould)
Ring the bells that still can ring / Forget your perfect offering /
There is a crack, a crack in everything / That's how the light gets in.
(Leonard Cohen)
***********************************************************************
|