Collection record · Small worlds
Sovereign: Henry VIII Enthroned (obverse); Royal Arms on Tudor Rose (reverse)
The collection record classifies this work as coins. It is dated 1526–44. Recorded culture or place: England, Henry VIII, 1509-1547.
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Sovereign: Henry VIII Enthroned (obverse); Royal Arms on Tudor Rose (reverse)
- Date
- 1526–44
- Culture / origin
- England, Henry VIII, 1509-1547
- Materials and technique
- gold
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 4.2 cm (1 5/8 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1969.170
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
During his life Henry VII had accumulated enormous wealth, and it took his son, Henry VIII, until 1542 to squander it. Henry knew how the English coinage had been debased in the past and did not see why it should not be debased again, this time for his personal benefit. Regardless of the inevitable financial catastrophe, he grasped at this easy revenue and in his last years not only debased the gold coinage to 20 ct., but the silver also, to one part silver and two parts alloy.
FOLLOW THE SOURCE
Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · The Norweb Collection · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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