These stunning brooches, featuring a falcon and a white Tudor rose, were once owned by eccentric millionaire Virginia Courtauld. They were a gift from Virginia's husband, Stephen, to mark the restoration of their new home at Eltham Palace in the 1930s.

Once a favoured medieval palace and then a Tudor royal residence, Eltham Palace was in a state of neglect when it was leased in 1933 to the Courtaulds. Together the couple transformed it into a lavish home combining Art Deco architecture and state-of-the-art technology. The surviving great hall, built for Edward IV in the 1470s, was retained and restored during the renovation and remains a much-loved feature of the palace today.

Stephen commissioned and presented Virginia with two brooches in 1937 upon completion of the restoration. The brooches feature the cyphers of Edward IV; the White Rose of York upon the starburst of Richard II (known as Rose en Soleil) and the Falcon and Fetterlock.

The falcon is set with single cut diamonds and the background of the brooch is half set with cross-hatched pink tourmaline gems and blue sapphires. Meanwhile the rose is within a sunburst surround, set with single cut diamonds and a yellow citrine centre. Its background is similarly half set with pink tourmaline and blue sapphires.

The brooches also mimic stained glass windows in the great hall which the Courtaulds commissioned to include Edward IV’s same cyphers. This might have been to reflect Eltham as one of the monarch’s favourite royal residences. 

Kevin Booth, English Heritage’s Head Collections Curator, said: "Virginia Courtauld’s beautiful, Cartier diamond and gem set brooches epitomise the glamorous, modern spirit that Stephen and Virginia brought to Eltham Palace when they restored and extended it in the 1930s.

"The brooches perfectly bring together the old in the form of Edward IV’s cyphers, and the new with a 1930s palette of pink tourmaline and blue sapphire – which is exactly what Virginia and Stephen set out to do at Eltham.

"The brooches are not only significant as pieces of high-quality Cartier workmanship, but as a deeply personal gift from husband to wife. It’s wonderful that they have found their way home.”

By the early 1930s, Cartier was a well-established presence in London and was especially popular amongst fashionable society. They first opened a London boutique in 1902 and received a royal warrant in 1904.

Brooches such as these had considerable appeal because of the variety of ways they could be worn; they could be clipped to a hat or headpiece or used to secure the neckline or shoulder strap of evening wear.

These brooches are likely to have been worn by Virginia while the Courtaulds entertained, making this acquisition even more significant. The brooches tell a story of the histories of the great hall, the restoration, the Courtaulds, and the lives they lived at Eltham Palace.

The Courtauld Cartier brooches were purchased at Dreweatts auction with a generous grant from Art Fund, and a contribution from the Wolfson Foundation. The brooches are on display at Eltham Palace from 19 February.

English Heritage became an independent charity in 2015 and now relies more and more on the generosity of its members, visitors, and local communities to support its work. Urgent donations are needed to help care for and better understand over 1,000,000 historic artefacts, such as the Eltham brooches. To support our Million and More appeal, visit our website.