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Drake Jewel

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The Drake Jewel is a precious pendant given by Elizabeth I to Sir Francis Drake, possibly after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The pendant is on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.[1][2]

History

Elizabeth I had the pendant created especially for Drake, by a renowned artisan, as a demonstration of gratitude.[3] Drake's Jewel was created by Nicholas Hilliard and given to Drake before 1591, possibly to celebrate the victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588. Drake was painted by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger in 1591 and is shown wearing the jewel.[2] Drake valued this pendant more than any of his other possessions.[3]

After Drake's death in 1596 the jewel passed to Thomas Drake, his brother, and upon his death in 1637, to Thomas's widow. She sold the Jewel to her daughters for £3000 (about £101 million today).[2]

Description

On the front, the Jewel shows a cameo of an African man and a European woman. The reverse opens to show a painting of Elizabeth I and a phoenix.[2] The African man is wearing a paludamentum, the head gear of Roman generals and emperors. The portraits are watercolour on vellum, surrounded by rubies, diamonds and pearls.[2]

Interpretation of images

The images on the jewel are open to interpretation. Karen Dalton in The Black Emperor in the Drake Jewel and Elizabethan Imperial Imagery writes the jewel is a manifestation of the queen herself and of her imperial aspirations. The black emperor is Saturn the ruler of the Golden Age. The woman is the Virgin Astraea who will return Saturn to the throne.[4] The phoenix in the jewel is one of Elizabeth I's most used images, depicting peace, rebirth and virtue.[4]

Kevin Jackson in Chronicles of London writes that the woman is Elizabeth I herself and the African man is enslaved.[3]

  • The pendant hanging from Drake's belt, painting by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, dated 1591
    The pendant hanging from Drake's belt, painting by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, dated 1591
  • A portrait of Drake wearing the Jewel, by Henry Bone, dated 1829
    A portrait of Drake wearing the Jewel, by Henry Bone, dated 1829
  • Detail from the Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger portrait
    Detail from the Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger portrait
  • The pendant at the V&A museum
    The pendant at the V&A museum

References

  1. ^ "Publications". OIEAHC.
  2. ^ a b c d e Museum, Victoria and Albert. "The Drake Jewel | Hilliard, Nicholas | V&A Explore The Collections". Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections.
  3. ^ a b c https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Chronicles_of_Old_London/rQ9MBAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Drake+Jewel&pg=PA72&printsec=frontcover
  4. ^ a b https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Early_Modern_Visual_Culture/RHdylzy_1xIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Drake+Jewel&pg=PA178&printsec=frontcover
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