The Royal Collection Trust of the United Kingdom has created and released an exclusive limited edition porcelain collection to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the enthronement of HRH Queen Elizabeth II. The set was inspired by the June 2, 1953 coronation parade, and reflects the pomp and pageantry of this singular and historic State Ceremony.
The Queen acceded to the throne almost sixteen months after the sudden death of her father, King George VI. She was crowned on a cold, humid day; however, the bad weather didn’t affect the beauty of the portentous event.
The parade attracted close to three million people who didn’t want to miss a celebration of such magnitude. The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, traveled in a golden coach from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, where next to the high altar and in front of 8.251 guests, including heads of State, personalities and dignitaries from around the world, her Majesty took the solemn oath and was crowned.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of this great historical moment, distinguished British artisans who specialize in the craft of porcelain and high-end pottery, created 11 unique pieces inspired in the coronation. The chosen colors echo the scarlet livery worn by the coachmen that led the queen´s horse-drawn carriage. The design also features the royal arms used in the procession. The exquisite and colorful silk damask banners of the trumpets that announced the precise moment when the Queen was being crowned in Westminster Abbey inspired the rich and detailed ornaments that appear on the edges of each piece.
Hand-made exclusively for the Royal Collection Trust, this official porcelain edition, a remembrance of this magna occasion, was produced entirely in the English town of Stoke-on-Trent, in the same pottery workshops that made the china for the wedding of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, and also for the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty in 2012.
The eleven collector’s pieces have been executed and painted by hand by expert artists in the same way, and with the same methods, that have been used for the last 250 years. Each one has been individually embellished with several layers of burnished gold, before applying a final coat of high quality 22-karat gold. The pieces come finely wrapped and presented in individual boxes that certify their authenticity.
Proceeds from the sale of the commemorative porcelain collection will go to the Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The objectives of the Foundation are to care and preserve the Royal Collection, and its promotion through public exhibitions, publications, loans, and educational activities.
The official limited edition can be purchased online, (royalcollection.org.uk), or at the two stores of the Royal Collection Trust, located inside Buckingham Palace, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (Scotland) and also at the famous Harrods department store in London. ■
