Although the cup and cover are typical for the form at this date, and the armorials and inscription are standard for the 1680s, the 'Chinoiserie' flat chased decoration of figures supporting the canopy is of particular significance. Further research may demonstrate that the canopies used at James II's Coronation were of'cloth of gold' woven in China. Increased interest in Chinoiserie was inspired by the publication of recent travels in China by Johannes Nieuhof (1618-1672). His account of 'An Embassy from the East-India Company of the United Province, to the Grand Tartar Cham, Emperour of China 1665' , was first translated into English in 1669. (3) The taste for Chinoiserie reflects the growing importance of European trade with China following the foundation of the London-based East India Company in 1600. By the 1670s the establishment of a trading base off Fujian resulted in large-scale shipments to England of admired Chinese goods. Such trade fostered a European market for furniture japanned in imitation of true oriental lacquer. Bed hangings and curtains of imported Chinese silk damasks created appropriate settings for such exotic possessions. By 1688, John Stalker's & William Parker's 'A Treatise of Japaning and Varnishing' was published to appeal to the growing taste for professional and amateur japanning. It was appropriately dedicated to Mary, Countess of Derby, Lady of the Bedchamber to the new Queen Mary II, daughter of James II and his first wife Anne Hyde. Chinoiserie was an appropriately exotic visual language for furnishings associated with the monarch. (5) Figure 4 - Engraving Showing the Canopy Held Over James II from Francis Sandford, The History of the Coronation of James II, London, 1687. V&A: National Art Library The International Genealogical Index. Cresheld Draper (d.1693) originally from Crayford, Kent was MP for Winchelsea from 1678 to 1687. He married Sarah Gauden of Clapham, Surrey, in 1665. She was the daughter of Sir Dennis Gauden of Mayland, Essex.

The caption to the engraving in Sandford's publication reads, 'A canopy of Cloth of Gold, like that of the Kings, to be born over the QUEEN by Eight Barons of the Cinque-Ports with Four Silver Bells gilt hanging at the Corners. It was born by 16 Barons of the Cinque Ports there being 32 in all'. Butler, Robin. The Albert Collection. London, 2004: no.374. Baines, J. Manwaring. 'The Cinque Ports and Coronation Services'. Hastings Museum Publication, No.18, 3rd edition, 1968: 12. The stave mount is an inch in diameter and 3 ft 8 in long. In addition, those chosen to take on the roles proved that they are the established office holders, descendants of a relevant family or relevant owners of land to perform the task.Although the James II Coronation Cup is currently displayed in the V&A's New Acquisitions Gallery it will return to the Whiteley Silver Galleries for display with the coronation bells in 2010. It is hoped that in due course, a small touring exhibition of Coronation silver may be arranged, including this exciting new acquisition, to be shown in museums in the Cinque Ports of Dover, Hastings and Sandwich. Endnotes Baines, J. Manwaring. 'The Cinque Ports and Coronation Services'. Hastings Museum Publication, No.18, 3rd edition, 1968: 11. The information on the cake basket was provided by Charles Truman. Those chosen showed evidence that their claim related to a historic customary service performed at previous Coronations. V&A:W.7-1991. The footstool is of beech, stained and gilded with cover of red silk velvet trimmed with meal thread fringe; supplied by Bailey and Saunders for the Coronation of King George IV, British, 1821 Those given Coronation roles will be at the heart of this historic ceremony, but of course the entire nation will have its part to play in events up and down the country, in what promises to be a weekend to remember.

Figure 3 - Monteith Racing Trophy by Robert Cooper, London, England, 1688-9. Silver, height 22.9 cm. Museum no. M.25-2002 Other recorded examples of silver recycled from coronation bells and stave mounts include a tankard made for the senior baron Tobias Cleve, who represented Sandwich after the Coronation of Charles II (now in the collection of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London); and a punch bowl and ladle by London goldsmiths George Boothby and William Fordham, made following George II's Coronation, belonging to the Corporation of Hastings. (9) The tankard is inscribed, 'This Pott was made of ye Silver of ye Canopie when King Charles ye 2d was Crowned, Aprill 23d 1661'. The Hastings punch bowl is inscribed as follows: This bell is also illustrated in Clayton, Michael. The Collector's Dictionary of the Silver and Gold of Great Britain and North America. London, 1971: 27, fig.33b. Francis Sandford (1630-1694), Lancaster Herald, was appointed by James II to publish an illustrated account of his coronation. 'The history of the coronation of the most high, most mighty, and most excellent monarch James II, etc., and of his Royal Consort Queen Mary: solemnized at Westminster, 23 April 1685: with an exact account of the several preparations, their majesties most splendid processions, and magnificent feast at Westminster Hall' , was published in 1687 with engravings by S. Moore of the procession. These show the canopies held over the King (fig. 4) and Queen (fig. 5 ), supported by the Barons of the Cinque Ports. (12)Of course, there was only one man standing out in full ceremonial splendour on the day, but in a mark of respect for the momentous occasion, the male guests watching King Charles III’s Coronation put their best feet (and suits) forward too. Figure 9 - Cup and Cover, Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, London, 1821-2. Gold, height 22.5 cm. Museum no. M.42-1982 The chair and footstool covered with purple velvet used by Archbishop Juxon at the Coronation of Charles II, and given to the Archbishop after that Coronation, came to the V&A in 1928 and are currently displayed in the British Galleries. (24) Participants announced refer to the 13 roles that are subject to historic claims for the Coronation Service