British Empire & Commonwealth (T/ZIMB/27)

Length of printed cotton cloth. Red background with indigo stripes in blocks of different thicknesses. Bamboo spray diagonally across with blue, white and yellow leaves. Yellow and some of the blue is misprinted.Printed on the bottom selvedge is ‘ABC A16528 GUARANTEED ENGLISH WAX'.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1036.TET)

Gold hair piece - filigree flower, 6 petals with a chain and flower tassel on each petal.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1039.TET)

Pair of sun-shaped golden brooches. One has the design of a face, the other also has a face amongst clouds along with an animal.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1068.TET)

Blanket from Mali, Sahel area, narrow strip weaving, 6 strips making up a blanket with stripes and geometric patterning, coarse wool. Fulani.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1070.TET)

Narrow strip weave with 6 stripes sewn together, coarse wool, cream ground with brown and ginger stripes and geometric patterns across the strips. Wedding blanket. Fulani. Sahel region.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1094.TET)

Wooden flute, in two parts. Bamboo tube with 7 holes, mouth piece, bound with tin stripes, black shaped piece, flared with 7 holes pushed into the end.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1002.TET)

Wooden bell, hollowed rectangular block.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1147.TET)

Wood carved panel, made from light wood, with a design of three women with baskets and pots. Submitted for the Commonwealth Art and Craft exhibition 1977 by Zaher B H J Zainun, 17 years old from Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid, Malaysia. MYS/AT/2

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/AFRI/178)

Spear, wood pole, elongated metal blade, tapered shaft narrowing towards the socket, a long blade witha central rib, part painted black, socket painted black,Very sharp. Some rust.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/VANU/42)

3 arrows. 1) Bamboo shaft, wooden barbed point barbed with leaf fibre, two feathers at the end bound with leaf fibre with a nock. 2) Wooden shaft and barbed point all in one with two feather bound with fibre and a small nock. 3) Bamboo shaft bound at one end with leaf fibre, point missing, nock at other end.

British Empire & Commonwealth (0736.TET)

Face with a head above it and two snakes. African

British Empire & Commonwealth (0779.TET)

Chinese tea bowl, modern with a yellow and purple design.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/ZIMB/28)

Length of wax printed cloth, yellow ground with blue indigo stripes and a stylised shell ? design in blue, white and red. The whole is misprinted so the blue shell and the red border are misaligned. ‘ABC A16432 GUARANTEED ENGLISH WAX’.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1998/093/008)

Royal navy ceremonial belt of black leather faced with black woven braid with a narrow gold coloured stripe along both edges, large buckle with a crowned anchor. Attached is b) a sword hanger. Buckled onto the end is c) which has a swivel clip d) is a longer back sword hanger. On the back ‘By Special Appointment to his Majesty the King, Gieves Limited.’ With the Royal Coat of Arms.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/ZIMB/55)

Decorative mask, carved wood, incised line decoration, holes for eyes and mouth, a label reads 'Rh/a/2'.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/AFRI/12)

Walking stick, carved wood, snake coiled around, crooked top. Possibly palm wood. Curved handle is broken.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2002/095/112)

Badge 'Wales, B E F G, 1962' with enamelled Welsh Dragon. British Empire and Commonwealth Games, 1962

British Empire & Commonwealth (2001/098/007)

500 piece jigsaw puzzle. 'Royal Family/ The Queen's Silver Jubilee 1952-1977'. Shows some of the British Royal Family in the back of a landrover, waving to crowds dressed in traditional costume from Papua New Guinea - they include Asaro mud men wearing mud masks and grey body paint. Behind them other men in feather 'bilas'.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1998/019/006)

Nauticus shell. Carved around middle with intricate decorative pattern and the words 'Port Blair' Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2004/050/002)

Silver Jubilee 1910 - 1935 George V and Queen Mary commemorative tin. Embossed lid with portraits of the King and Queen. Image of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle on the sides.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1995/001/108)

Small copper dish with etching of hut. 'J Witt' on label.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/INDI/554)

Sari length. Beige voile fabric in silk? or artificial fibre. Has diagonal stripes of flowers and foliage in gold across the whole length. Embroidered gold border on one edge.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2008/014/198)

Cotton fabric triangular pennant on a small wooden dowel with a green cord. The pennant has a printed design with a blue border. The upper half has "VICTORIA FALLS" and a picture of the falls plus a statue. The lower half is orange with "RHODESIA" printed vertically.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/ASIA/3)

Cloth banner. Urdu script.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/MALY/6.a-c)

Bridegroom's wedding costume, woven silk and gold thread, green, tunic, belt, trousers, turban, gold necklace, decorative kris. Lime green brocade fabric with gold woven design in a small geometric pattern. T/MALY/6.A - Tunic shaped top. Stand-up collar with two worked buttonholes at either end. Straight sleeves set straight into the side seam with underarm gusset. Front of tunic has a placket opening with two sets of three worked buttonholes. left front, as worn, has a breast pocket. There are two patch pockets at lower front.Tunic is lined with sage green crepe fabric, possibly silk. Inside the collar is a manufacturer's label 'MAROZ'. T/MALY/6.B - Trousers to match the tunic. Straight waistband fastening with metal hook and bar and button and buttonhole. Back waistband has tabs with buttons at either side.Front of trousers has a small yoke from the waistband and a green nylon zip fly fastening. The back has a yoke as for the front. Straight trouser legs. Lined throughout with sage green crepe fabric. T/MALY/6.C - Belt or 'skirt' to match tunic and trousers with woven borders and decorative panel. Made from a length of fabric joined to form a tube. T/MALY/6.f Headdress, wrapped and sewn.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/NIGE/558)

Child's shirt, short sleeves, open neck, patch pocket with flat seams, 3 buttons, in a blue, grey, red and black cotton check. Bought by the Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Institute in 1958.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/SAFR/019)

Man’s shirt, stand up collar, front opening and long sleeves. Fine black cotton with a white, brown and gold geometric design printed on. A label reads ‘MARIMBA TEXTILES L’. Patch pocket on left breast.

British Empire & Commonwealth (TEMP 205)

Curtain. Blue cotton with a white step pattern with a single header tape at the top.

British Empire & Commonwealth (TEMP 209)

A kipper tie. Sateen fabric, tie dyed in pink and purple with a label ‘An original Kayah co. Freetown.’ Sierra Leone.

British Empire & Commonwealth (TEMP 210)

Round neck and short sleeves. A bound hem. Hook and eye fastening up the back. In a sateen cotton, in stripes of red, white, purple, green, yellow, pink.

British Empire & Commonwealth (TEMP 211)

Sari length. Blue silk with silver floating weft pattern of flowers with a geometric band and hem.

British Empire & Commonwealth (TEMP 212)

Striped cotton, cut and sewn on diagonal. Puff sleeves, side slits, 3 button fastening at the back, in red, blue, green and white.

British Empire & Commonwealth (TEMP 213)

Man’s double breasted jacket with label inside ‘Steegan Regd. Tailored in a MOYGASHEL PURE LINEN fabric BRITISH MADE.’

British Empire & Commonwealth (TEMP 214)

Silk headscarf, square with a batik design of flowers and foliage in pastel colours.

British Empire & Commonwealth (TEMP 215)

Boy’s waistcoat, dark red wool fabric with embroidery at the front, front opening with round cloth buttons, square cut sleeves, insets at side with a pocket, lined in brown cotton. Pakistan or India?

British Empire & Commonwealth (TEMP 216)

Man’s shirt. Short sleeved in a print fabric of bullock carts, palm trees and village housing with ‘Seychells’ on the pocket.

British Empire & Commonwealth (TEMP 217)

Men’s shorts matching TEMP 216. From the Seychelles.

British Empire & Commonwealth (TEMP 227)

Textile length, possibly part of a sari or table cloth. Blue cotton with silver floating weft pattern; a central panel of geometric plants, flowers and borders; fabric either side, design of individual leaves and berries, geometric border along each end and cut ends.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2007/038/003)

Doll said to have been made in 1780s or 1790s by former enslaved woman for her ex-mistress. Wearing period dress with a floral pattern in red with a dark blue background on the skirt and a white top. Also wearing a patterned headscarf made from Madras cotton. The body is made in leather, stuffed with horsehair, cut and sewn to the shape of the human body. The head is moulded with a nose and mouth, with painted features, and human hair (said to be from the woman who made the doll), May be a netted wig as on /001 but the head tie cannot be removed to check. Eyes of painted cloth are set in holes cut in the head. The head is set into the neck of the body: only /001 is stitched in place. She wears a fine cotton underskirt, with a dark blue flowered chintz skirt or petticoat, fine cotton blouse and shawl, with tiny pockets tied around the waist. She has gold earrings and a necklace of small carnelian beads. Said to have been made for Maria Michell, wife of an attorney in Grenada and Barbados (actually Maria Ahmuty, nee Anderson). She freed at least one enslaved woman, and it is said to be the custom for a freed slave to make a doll for her former mistress. Maria stayed in contact with her freed slave: a letter suggests frequent contact, including the sending of goods ordered and paid for by the freed woman, Rebecca Snagg, for sale in Grenada. Rebecca Snagg owned slaves herself, but sold them when she was in financial difficulties.

British Empire & Commonwealth (0758.TET)

Large spoon with shallow bowl, rim of bowl and handle decorated with burnt decoration, lines and ring and dot, infilled with lime. 'Uganda /A/3. Went to Commonwealth Institute'.