The Gold State Coach, Royal Mews, London.
The Gold State Coach is an enclosed, eight horse-drawn carriage used by the British Royal Family. The carriage forms part of the Royal Collection and is kept at the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace, London.
It was built in the London workshops of Samuel Butler in 1762 and has been used at the coronation of every British monarch since George IV. The coach’s great age, weight, and lack of manoeuvrability have limited its use to grand state occasions such as coronations, royal weddings, and the jubilees of a monarch.
The coach is gilded and features painted panels by Giovanni Cipriani and rich gilded sculptures including three cherubs on the roof (representing England, Ireland and Scotland) and four tritons, one at each corner (representing Britain’s imperial power).
The Gold State Coach, Royal Mews, London.
Humphries Weaving supplied a rich crimson duchess satin woven in silk and cotton. This was used for the deep-buttoned interior upholstery of the Gold State Coach. Duchess satin is a heavy and stiff satin with a luxurious glossy finish, the cloth requires great skill to weave as the structure is unforgiving but the finished cloth is highly desirable.
Project reference: 266
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