Here’s another exquisite and historical object on display in the Ashmolean: ‘the robe of the King of Virginia’. It was the mantle of Powhatan, King of the tribe that lived where the Jamestown settlement was established. Powhatan was the father of Princess Pocohontas. The description relates that the mantle may have had some function, such as a temple hanging, rather than being a garment. The beautiful patterns are made out of hundreds of tiny shells, sewn into the leather. The gaps are thought to be early examples of vandalism, previous generations of visitors having stolen shells as souvenirs (the mantle used to hang unprotected on a wall).