William Sterling

An introduction to the history section

The Royal Cup of France and England. This was one of the few surviving masterpieces associated with the greatest of all Mediaeval art patrons, Jean duc de Berry. He commissioned it in 1380 as a gift for his brother, King Charles V of France. The lid and main body of the cup show scenes from the Life of St Agnes on whose feast day Charles was born. The cup is solid gold decorated with enamel, probably the best surviving example of Mediaeval Champlevé enameling. St Agnes was an early Christian martyr who refused to marry a pagan and was burned at the stake for her refusal to worship the Roman Emperor. The flames did not hurt her and she was killed by a spear being driven through her throat. The base shows the four evangelist symbols – St John’s eagle in the picture. Image © Trustees of the British Museum
My main area of academic study has been History. My first degree at Keele University (1976-1980) was a Joint Honours in History and Geography. The areas I specialised in for History were The Greeks, The Enlightenment, Tenth Century England, Thirteenth Century France, Renaissance England and The Hundred Years War. Read more »

SPOTLIGHT: History

British Museum Highlights

This new 90 minute tour of the Museum costs £12 per head and can be booked in advance via the Museum’s website.  Originally we started in Room 2 with an introduction to the museum’s founder, Sir Hans Sloane and then one of the oldest objects in the museum, a hand axe from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania… Read more »

George III

Life and Times of King George III  Infamous for “losing” America and going mad, George III was the first English-born king for over 70 years and a great patriot who supported agricultural improvements and helped advance learning in the Age of the Enlightenment.  This workshop explored his long life and how his attitude to kingship… Read more »

The Etruscans

This course was being run by the City Lit on Saturday 13th April 2013 and Saturday 29th April 2017.  Although their language has been lost the influence of the Etruscans on the Greeks and Romans was enormous and many objects survive today. The course included a visit to the British Museum. The Etruscans are one of… Read more »

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