The Heneage Jewel
Elizabeth I gave elaborate jewels bearing her image as a reward for outstanding services. She is said to have given this jewel to Sir Thomas Heneage, a Privy Counsellor and the Vice-Chamberlain of the Royal Household.
The front of the pendant has a portrait of the queen, inscribed in Latin ‘Elizabeth, by the grace of God Queen of England, France and Ireland’.
The Heneage Jewel
England, about 1595
Gold with enamel, rock crystal, table-cut diamonds and Burmese rubies
Given by Lord Wakefield through the Art Fund
V&A: M.81-1935
Sir Francis Walsingham was one of Elizabeth I’s most influential advisors and uncovered plots against her life. Like Sir Thomas Heneage, he received a jewel from the queen in gratitude for his services.
This portrait shows him wearing the jewel hanging from a dark ribbon. It is a pendant with a cameo portrait of the queen and large drop pearl.
Sir Francis Walsingham
About 1585
Probably by John De Critz the Elder
Oil on panel
National Portrait Gallery, London
Sir Christopher Hatton also received a jewel with a cameo portrait of the queen. She gave it as a sign of gratitude for his loyal services as Vice Chamberlain at the Royal Household and a member of the Privy Council.
In this portrait, the jewel hangs from a rich gold chain, but Sir Christopher holds it out for the attention of the viewer.
Sir Christopher Hatton (1540-91)
England, about 1600-1700
By an unknown artist
Oil on panel
National Portrait Gallery, London
Family tradition says that Elizabeth I gave this jewel to her god-daughter, Elizabeth Wild. Over generations, the pendant passed within the family from one Elizabeth to another.
In the Renaissance, the renewed interest in Antiquity included a fashion for engraved gems. Some had copies of portraits of Roman emperors, others had portraits of contemporary monarchs. This tradition flourished in Elizabethan England.
The Wild Jewel
England, about 1590
Gold with turquoise cameo, enamel, diamonds, rubies and pearls
Case 1. V&A: M.26-2002
Victoria & Albert Museum, London
The true story of this jewel may never be revealed. The cameo of Elizabeth I shows the queen about 1590, towards the end of her reign. The mount with its pea-pod style ornament dates from even later, from about 1615-25. Family tradition links the jewel to a London tradesman called William Barbor, but he died in 1586, before the cameo and mount were made. In 1558 he was on the point of being executed as a heretic by the Catholic Queen Mary, but was saved by the accession of the Protestant Queen Elizabeth.
