Lunchtime Lectures: the Pasfield Jewel

In this talk, Mike Berlin traces the history of a single, very small object within the vast collections of the V&A: a seventeenth‑century enamelled gold, jewelled pendant shaped like a wheellock pistol, known as the Pasfield Jewel. Following this object’s journey opens onto wider, interconnected histories of privateering, the sugar trade, and the growth of London as an imperial city. Through the story of this one jewel, the talk explores how wealth generated through violence, enslavement, and global commerce was transformed into luxury, display, and, ultimately, the great museum collections we inherit today.

Mike Berlin is a Lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is a specialist in the social history of early modern London and has published extensively on the history of London’s guilds. Before joining Birkbeck, he was a research officer at the Centre for Metropolitan History, Institute of Historical Research. He is currently the Course Leader of V&A Academy's London: The Global City 1851 to 2020 course.

Please note that the Lost Music Venues Lunchtime Lecture has been rescheduled for next year. We apologise for any inconvenience or disappointment this causes.