Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 5.djvu/216

 NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. v. MAR. 2, 1912;.

on the tomb are the arms of the Warwick- shire branch : the three plummets, emblems of justice and prudence, are old devices, and peculiar to the Jennens family.

The Warwickshire branch spell their name Jennens, not ings. The name is Danish, and meant iron men, or clan, the family being from Frena Jennens or ings, a chieftain under Canute. Th^s king, when he came to England, gave him lands in the Eastern counties and in Warwickshire. A branch became the Jerninghams ; re- cumbent effigies of some of them are still in the Old Church, Birmingham, and Jerningham was the surname of the Stafford family.

The other branch led to John Jennens, who established the iron trade and founded Birmingham. Birmingham is probably a corruption of Jerningham, and was during the early Norman times only a village, with the Jerninghams as lords and owners of the lands.

I do not know how much has been spent in law over the case, but probably thousands. Nor can I ascertain how the money is in- vested. As it has been going on from shortly after the death of William the Rich, I am afraid it has become a myth.

SYDNEY HERBERT.

Carlton Lodge, Cheltenham.

CLEOPATRA'S PORTRAIT (11 S. v. 88). In Gardthausen's elaborate monograph ' Augustus und seine Zeit,' part ii., p. 234, there is a long list of references where infor- mation may be found on the subject of Cleopatra's portraits. It will be reen that the matter is complicated by numerous false ascriptions as well as by modern forgeries. At p. 227 of the same volume is an engraving of a sculptured half-length portrait of Cleopatra, identified by her name in a cartouche, from the Temple of Hathor at Dendera (the ancient Tentyra). Few, if any, would call the features attractive. On plate x. of Mr. G. F. Hill's ' Handbook of Greek and Roman Coins ' is a " striking, but hardly pleasing head of Cleopatra." In Mr. F. LI. Griffith's article ' Dendera ' in the last edition of ' The Encyclopaedia Britannica ' it is said that " figures of the celebrated Cleopatra VI. occur amongst the sculptures on the exterior of the temple, but they are purely conventional, without a trace of portraiture."

No doubt there is a popular impression that Cleopatra was of dazzling beauty, but on what evidence does it rest ? Plutarch, 4 a his < Life of Antony," chap, xxvii., follows

the account according to which she was not specially remarkable for beauty, but rather for personal charm, attractive conversation, and tone of voice. Gardthausen points out that it is only later authorities who dwell on her exceptional beauty.

EDWARD BENSLY,

I do not remember the portrait alluded to by Bayle St. John, but the features of Cleo- patra are well known from her numerous coins. They do not correspond with our modern ideas of beauty, and her nose had nothing Grecian about it. It belongs to what is considered the Jewish type, and her profile in general strongly reminds me of that of Madame Sarah Bernhardt. I am sure she was no less consummate an actress than that gifted lady.

W. F. PRIDEAUX,

From the mention of " their walls " in the quotation at the above reference it is evident that the writer was ti inking of the portrait in the Temple of Dendera' which has often been reproduced. A good copy will be found on p. 237 of Prof. Mahaffy's ' History of Egypt under the Ptolemaic Dynasty.' Certainly Cleopatra was " no- beauty " if the Egyptian artist has drawn her truthfully, but Prof. Mahaffy is of opinion that "this figure has no semblance whatever of reality. ' ' In the same work appear another portrait of her at Dendera with her son Csesarion, and a coin bearing her head.

F. W. READ.

A portrait of Cleopatra from a silver medal of Alexandria, enlarged, is given in Baring-Gould's ' The Tragedy of the Cfesars/ p. 139; and there is this or another repre- sentation of her in the " Temple " Shake- speare edition of ' Antony and Cleopatra.' " Plutarch tells us," quotes Mr. Baring- Gould,

' : that ' her beauty was neither astonishing nor unique ; but it derived a force from her wit and: the fascination of her manner, which was abso- lutely irresistible. Her voice was delightfully melodious, and had the same variety of modula- tion that has an instrument of many strings. "

ST. SWITHIN.

There is a portrait of Cleopatra, and also one of her son Csesarion, carved in bas- relief on the end wall of the Temple of Denderah. on the west bank of the Nile, between Abydos and Luxor. This may be the one referred to by Bayle St. John.

H. J. B. CLEMENTS.

Killadoon, Celbridge.