The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom, c. 1910

This magnificent coat of arms dates from the Arts and Craft period of the early 20th Century and has a clear stylistic connection to the oak carvings of the choir stalls of the Chapel of the Knights of the Order of the Thistle in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, carried out by W & A Clow when the chapel was built c.1910-11

Born in Edinburgh, Alexander Clow and his older half-brother, William, became the preferred wood carvers for the architect Robert Lorimer after completing commissions for the Chapel of the Knights of the Order of the Thistle at St Giles Cathedral (1910-11). They worked on many of Lorimer’s other buildings and memorials, including the choir stalls of Dunblane Cathedral, Stirling (1912-14) and the Scottish National War Memorial (1924-7)