"We're in Horace Walpole's gothic manor house at Strawberry Hill, and he owned a richly decorated dagger that he was told had belonged to the King. However, more recent research has indicated that it was likely a decorative dagger made at the imperial workshops in late 16th-century Istanbul and exported to Europe. While highly prized, many were gradually altered over time to suit European tastes, and eventually their Ottoman origins were lost beneath later European decoration."
"Walpole's collection was sold after his death, and the dagger was bought by the actor Charles John Kean. The last time the dagger was seen was in 1946, when it was stolen from Hever Castle in Kent, where Anne Boleyn had once lived. It's still missing. However, recent research has found some similar daggers in collections elsewhere, and two daggers have gone on display at Strawberry Hill House, appropriately in the same octagonal treasure room that Walpole displayed his dagger."
Horace Walpole owned a decorated dagger he was told had belonged to King Henry VIII. Recent research identifies the dagger as likely an Ottoman decorative piece made in late 16th-century workshops in Istanbul and exported to Europe. Many such daggers were altered to suit European tastes, obscuring their Ottoman origins. The dagger dates from after Henry VIII's death, discrediting the Tudor attribution. Walpole sold the dagger after his death and the actor Charles John Kean later acquired it for theatrical use. The dagger was stolen from Hever Castle in 1946 and remains missing. Two similar daggers have been located and are now displayed at Strawberry Hill, with a neighboring room showing Kean's theatrical provenance and documents.
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