Lot Essay
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is the oldest and highest British chivalric order. It was founded in 1348 by King Edward III. Traditionally a garter is said to have been chosen by the King as the emblem for the new order after he retrieved a lady's garter from the dance floor. In order to save her embarrassment he is said to have tied it around his own leg while uttering the words 'Honi soit qui mal y pense', 'Dishonour be he who thinks evil of it'. King Friedrich Wilhelm IV was nomiated to the order on 25 January 1841. A full history of the order was published on the 650th anniversary of it foundation, P. J. Begent and H. Chesshyre, The Most Noble Order of the Garter, 650 Years, London, 1999.