Abstract:
The movement or exchange of objects across courts was never apolitical; portraits, plate, and jewels in particular were gifted and displayed to advance diplomacy, and so too were far more unwieldy objects including beds, carriages, and horses. For princesses marrying foreign princes, the accompanying trousseau was a highly political gift. Importantly, there was a clear understanding that the political clout of the bridal family mirrored itself in the value of goods. In its scale and sheer weight, a trousseau needed to be appropriately royal, suitably magnificent; additionally, the style, quality, country of origin, and artistic pedigree of these objects materialised diplomacy. Such objects are typically described in English as 'fayre', 'rare', 'fine', 'rich', 'fitting', and 'suitable'. Moreover, such magnificent goods needed to be appropriate for the recipient, vehicles for a material diplomacy that suitably reflected the status of both parties in the exchange, if not also their gender, home country, and personal preferences.