Lot 250 D‡α

The necklace has an old label attached which reads: "Fish Hook and necklace, brought to England by Sir Joseph Banks in Captain Cook's Ship from Pacific". The label is written on a fragment of printed card connected with an election and polling meeting at the Angel Inn in support of William Graham.

The politician referred to on the label is most likely Lord Montagu William Graham (1807-1878), known as Sir William Graham, who served various terms as a member of Parliament for Dunbartonshire, Grantham and Herefordshire between 1830 and 1865. He was the second surviving son of James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose (1755-1836), member of Parliament for Richmond, Yorkshire, and Great Bedwyn between 1780 and 1790 and a correspondent of Sir Joseph Banks (see Carter, H.B. (Ed.), "The Sheep and Wool Correspondence of Sir Joseph Banks 1781-1820", London, 1979). James Graham also served as chancellor of the University of Glasgow from 1780 until his death.

We have been unable to find a close parallel to this necklace in the literature. The closest appears to be a Cook's voyage necklace from Tahiti with three large shell pendants now in the Volkerkunde Museum, Herrnhut. Each shell pendant is pierced three times and attached with fibre cord to a plaited fibre necklace as in this necklace (see Kaeppler, A. et al., "James Cook and the Exploration of the Pacific", Bonn, 2009, p.155, fig 118).