Such treasures all gathered together in a single case.
In medieval times Narwhal tusks were said to be the horns of
unicorns and worth 20 times their weight in gold. Pictures
of unicorns are usually portrayed with what at closer inspection
turns out to be a narwhals horn.
By 1500 there were only
about fifty in existence. Queen Elizabeth I was presented with
one by the explorer Sir Martin Frobisher in 1577 that was worth
about £10,000 at the time - more than the cost of a new castle,
the queen used it as a sceptre.
Picture copyright Paul Ward 2009.
Pentax digital equipment.
