Gifts have been part
of international relations since ancient times. They can serve as tokens of
friendship, apology or authority; as taunts, bribes, boasts or tricks. They can
also go wrong: Mali''s 2013 gift of a camel to French President François
Hollande was reported to have ended up in a tagine.
Exploring fifty
diplomatic gifts given through the ages, Brummell explains the great complexity
of this political art--an exercise in brand-building for the giver, via an item
that must suit the recipient''s own interests and character. Byzantine emperors
sent fragments of the True Cross to fellow Christian rulers around Europe;
Kings Louis XV and XVI of France used Sèvres porcelain, while the Ottoman
sultans favoured robes of honour. In some cases, recipients have made no secret
of the gift they would want. The Amarna Letters, dating to around 1350 BCE,
record a communication from Hittite Prince Zita to the Egyptian Pharaoh,
offering sixteen men--and hinting rather heavily that he would like some gold
in return.
From the Trojan
Horse to Cleopatra''s Needle to the Statue of Liberty, this rich history offers
a new take on both the curious detail and the grand spectacle of global
politics.