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Henry VIII's Lost Dagger: From the Tudor Court to the Victorian Stage
A mystery dating back to the court of Henry VIII (1491-1547) has inspired a landmark exhibition at Strawberry Hill House, which reimagines the extraordinary journey of a vanished Ottoman dagger 鈥� once believed to belong to the Tudor king鈥攖hrough Gothic collections, Victorian theatre, and the world of curatorial sleuthing.
The search begins at Strawberry Hill, home to Horace Walpole (1717-1797) the writer and collector who launched Britain鈥檚 love affair with the Gothic. Among Walpole鈥檚 wealth of antiquities was a 16th century Ottoman dagger, which he believed to have once been owned by Henry VIII.
When Walpole鈥檚 collection was sold in 1842, the dagger was acquired by Charles John Kean, the renowned Shakespearean actor and director of Queen Victoria's private theatricals at Windsor Castle. Kean pioneered what critics dubbed 'living museums' on the Victorian stage, using authentic historical artefacts鈥攊ncluding this dagger - to create historically accurate costumes and stage designs. After Kean's death, the dagger vanished without trace.
Determined to track down this lost treasure, Dr Silvia Davoli, Principal Curator at Strawberry Hill House, launched an international investigation鈥�.. Henry VIII's Lost Dagger: From the Tudor Court to the Victorian Stage (1 November 2025 鈥� 16 February 2026) explores what she discovered.
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A mystery dating back to the court of Henry VIII (1491-1547) has inspired a landmark exhibition at Strawberry Hill House, which reimagines the extraordinary journey of a vanished Ottoman dagger 鈥� once believed to belong to the Tudor king鈥攖hrough Gothic collections, Victorian theatre, and the world of curatorial sleuthing.
The search begins at Strawberry Hill, home to Horace Walpole (1717-1797) the writer and collector who launched Britain鈥檚 love affair with the Gothic. Among Walpole鈥檚 wealth of antiquities was a 16th century Ottoman dagger, which he believed to have once been owned by Henry VIII.
When Walpole鈥檚 collection was sold in 1842, the dagger was acquired by Charles John Kean, the renowned Shakespearean actor and director of Queen Victoria's private theatricals at Windsor Castle. Kean pioneered what critics dubbed 'living museums' on the Victorian stage, using authentic historical artefacts鈥攊ncluding this dagger - to create historically accurate costumes and stage designs. After Kean's death, the dagger vanished without trace.
Determined to track down this lost treasure, Dr Silvia Davoli, Principal Curator at Strawberry Hill House, launched an international investigation鈥�.. Henry VIII's Lost Dagger: From the Tudor Court to the Victorian Stage (1 November 2025 鈥� 16 February 2026) explores what she discovered.
