Museum £100k away from Henry VIII pendant target

1 day ago

Eleanor LawsonWest Midlands

News image — The British Museum is trying to buy the Tudor Heart for £3.5m, a piece of jewellery linked to the lives of Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon

PA Media A gold pendant on a black backdrop. It is made in Tudor style, with red flowers and the word tousiors — The British Museum is trying to buy the Tudor Heart for £3.5m, a piece of jewellery linked to the lives of Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon

The British Museum is trying to raise the last £100,000 it needs to buy a gold pendant worth £3.5m, linked to Henry VIII's marriage to Katherine of Aragon.

Unearthed by a metal detectorist in Warwickshire in December 2019, the Tudor Heart is one of a few surviving objects which tell the story of the Tudor king's marriage to his first wife.

In October, the museum launched a £3.5m appeal to save the heart-shaped pendant from entering a private collection.

Earlier this week, the museum emailed its members, asking for their help in "saving the Tudor Heart for the nation" and announcing that it was only £100,000 away from its target, which it was seeking to meet by Valentine's Day.

PA Media A close up of a gold pendant that reads "toujours" — Inscribed on the pendant is the French word 'toujours' meaning always

After it was found in a Warwickshire field, the pendant was reported under the Treasure Act 1996, which gives museums and galleries in England a chance to acquire historical objects and put them on display.

The item is particularly rare, as the British Museum said the annulment of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon's marriage meant few objects depicting their union survived.

The museum said the pendant was "unlike any object in the British Museum collection or elsewhere in the UK".

The front of the pendant is decorated with a white and red Tudor rose entwined with a pomegranate bush, with the pomegranate being the personal emblem of Queen Katherine.

The hidden face, which would be worn against the body, is decorated with the initials 'H' and 'K' united by a tasselled cord.

Both sides carry a French motto "toujours", meaning always.

Research led by the British Museum has revealed that the Tudor Heart pendant may have been made to celebrate the betrothal of their two-year-old daughter Princess Mary to the eight-month-old French heir-apparent in 1518.

PA Media The back of a gold pendant with the letters H and K in red — The reverse of the pendant shows the letters 'H' and 'K', thought to reference Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon

Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum, said: "The Tudor Heart is perhaps one of the most incredible pieces of English history to have ever been unearthed.

"Support will ensure that this unique and beautiful treasure is secured for the nation, so that it can be enjoyed by and inspire generations to come."

Actor Damian Lewis, who played Henry VIII in the BBC's adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy of novels, showed off the pendant in a video on the British Museum's Instagram page about the fundraising appeal.

"This beautiful object, we want as many people in the world to see it, as many schoolchildren in the world to see it," he said.

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