▲ 'Prinny'

'Prinny', while having married Mrs Fitzherbert morganatically, was forced by his father to divorce Mrs Fitzherbert and marry his choice, the German Princess Caroline. On her arrival in London, Prinny was disappointed. She was nothing like the soldiers. This took place at the height of the Napoleonic Wars, hence the soldiers and ships in the background. portrait miniature supplied and she bathed very infrequently. He went to the wedding drunk and weighing 20 stone. Despite this, on that, his wedding night, they managed to conceive - the only time he slept with Caroline. He then tried to divorce her, which needed an Act of Parliament. The evidence he concocted was presented to parliament in green cloth bags and largely comprised soiled bed sheets from her supposed relationship with an Italian Count. She returned to England for the coronation in 1821 wearing a hat with the three ostrich feathers of the Prince of Wales in which she is invariably depicted - see the following lot. The populous, loathing Prinny for his excesses, but rooting for Caroline, lined the streets and acclaimed her. At Westminster Abbey, Prinny had lodged gatekeepers, including the World Champion pugilist, Tom Cribb, preventing her entering on the grounds that she hadn't got a ticket. Distraught, Caroline turned away and died some months later, some saying she was poisoned - see lot 432. Despite his monstrosity, Prinny, a gambler, spendthrift and womaniser, was actually a man of great aesthetic taste. He built Carlton House (hence the desk) to his design, the Brighton Pavilion and formed its Sèvres collection, now belonging to Her Majesty the Queen. A man of curious contrasts.

A rare pearlware Mug,
c.1820, printed in black with a commemoration of the Parliamentary Bill to divorce Caroline (which failed), the base ribbed, the mouth pink lustre, some wear,
8.8cm

According to May: 'Possibly the rarest of Carolinae known'. Illustrated as plate 57.

The print shows the scales of justice overseen by John Bull with speech bubbles reading 'Well done Caroline, they think to make light of you, but it won't do, I'll see fair play'. The lighter Prinny, trying to be dragged down by courtiers and the law beneath bags titled 'Green' and 'Secrets', but much outweighed by Caroline, with justice on her side, and acclaiming

Sold for £720

Condition Report
Top with significant splits and an 8cm patch replaced. Top reaffixed.

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Auction: COUNTRY HOUSE SALE, 14th May, 2013

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14MAY13 - STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET - BAND

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