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May’s Museum Bum of the Month – The Gold State Coach (1762, William Chambers and Samuel Butler

Posted on 3rd June, 2023

One of the biggest events of the 21st century happened in early May (no, unfortunately we weren’t able to find anything MuseumBum-y about Eurovision…), so of course, Museum Bums got a piece of that coronation pie!

Our finely honed historical bum senses tingled when we saw the Gold State Coach, which carried newly crowned King Charles III, the design including four Tritons, one on each wheel, looking particularly peachy in their gilded imperial symbolism (Diana would have gone for something much more classy… just saying.)

According to the Royal Collections Trust (whose collections, by the way, feature a great many bums created or collected by royal family members!), the Gold State Coach was designed by William Chambers and created by Samuel Butler in 1762. You can read all the royalist factoids on other websites, we’re just hear to revel in the idea that Chazzy 3 had peachy seabums in his view from every angle in that uncomfortable journey from the Abbey to the Palace.