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There is an internet site which describe's Drake's cup and has a small photo of it: http://sirfrancisdrakehistory.net/ April 4th, 1581 Queen Elizabeth boarded the elaborately decorated "Golden Hind" and knighted Drake for being the first Englishman to circle the globe. Drake was granted a coat of arms with the Latin motto "Sic Parvis Magna" which translates to English as "Greatness from Small Beginnings". The red and blue Tudor banners that decorated the "Golden Hind" that day are today housed at Buckland Abbey.(to view click on link) As a token of her appreciation, Queen Elizabeth gave Drake a gold and silver globe engraved by the famous Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator which depicted Drake's world circling voyage. The Queen presented this globe as a 1582 New Year's Eve gift to Drake and it contained a silver decorated goblet which was made with a coconut that Drake had brought to the Queen after the famous voyage. photo: http://sirfrancisdrakehistory.net/coconut%20cup.JPG ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roger Kuin" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2003 5:54 AM Subject: Re: Sidney coconut cup at Huntington > The first thing to do would surely be to trace it its provenance BACK > from the Huntington -- that might well provide some clues, even > second- or third-hand. It is certainly an interesting confirmation of > Sidney's connection with the New World. As a coconut, it wouldn't be > linked to Virginia, though that was Sidney's last New World > connection (see the 1585 letter to him from Ralph Lane, more or less > proposing him as a successor). Could there be a Dyer connection? > Andrew Dyer, Edward's brother, was one of Frobisher's captains -- but > again, that might be too far North. Sidney's friend Duplessis-Mornay > had two Brazilian Tupi Indians in his French household -- perhaps > there's something there. Or even Drake himself -- might the cup, if > it really was given to the Sidneys by Elizabeth, be made from a > coconut Drake brought back and have been in some sort a tacit amends > for yanking Philip back at the last moment from his voyage with > Drake? Just some scattered thoughts. > > Roger Kuin > York University, Toronto > > > >I was recently contacted by Mary Robertson of the Huntington Library > >with a fascinating query about an object associated with the Sidneys. I > >promised that I would look about for a solution (including information > >about New Year's Gifts from Lisa Celovsky), but so far have found > >nothing solid. I'm posting the query here in hopes that someone on the > >list can make some suggestions. If you post to the list (not to me, > >off-list) we'll all be able to follow the discussion, if one ensues. I > >can then summarize for Mary Robertson. Thanks for your help, Germaine > >(see below). > > > >"I am writing to you ... in the hope that you might have some further > >information about an object in the Huntington's collections about which > >I > >knew nothing when you visited us back in 1995: in our Art Gallery is a > >silver-framed carved coconut standing cup, made in 1586, and said to > >have > >been presented by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Philip Sidney or to his family, > > > >probably after Zutphen (or, much less likely, a gift from him/ them to > > > >her). The coconut shell which forms the bowl of the cup is divided into > > > >three panels: on the first is carved Elizabeth's "E.R." monogram; on > >the > >second the Sidney porcupine; and on the third several military symbols > >(pike, cannon, etc.). A strikingly similar cup is said to have been > >made by > >Elizabeth from a coconut brought back to her by Sir Francis Drake, and > >is > >now in Devon, with Drake's arms in place of the porcupine and a small > >view > >of a man landing on an island rather than the military symbols. > > > >I came across this while curating an exhibition for the 400th > >anniversary of > >Elizabeth's death; the label in our Art Gallery made no mention of > >either > >Elizabeth or the Sidney connection, so I had missed its existence > >earlier > >on. > > > >Although it is not really necessary for my Elizabeth show (which opened > > > >last December), I've been trying to pin down the circumstances of the > >cup > >with a little more precision. I've been through all the secondary > >material > >here on Sidney that I can locate ( the Collected Works, his will, > >Katherine > >Duncan-Jones's biography and exhibit catalogue, other biographies, and > >so > >on) but I can't find any reference to it. As you are working with the > >Penshurst library we thought it just barely possible that you might have > > > >access to some inventory or other source not published, or else have > >some > >better idea than I of where else I might find mention of the Sidney cup > >and > >the circumstances of its gift." > > > >-- > >*********************************************************************** > >Germaine Warkentin // English (Emeritus) > >VC 205, Victoria College (University of Toronto), > >73 Queen's Park Crescent East, Toronto, Ont. M5S 1K7, CANADA > >[log in to unmask] (fax number on request) > >*********************************************************************** >