Collection record · Small worlds
Five Guineas: William & Mary (obverse); Crowned Shield of Arms (reverse)
The collection record classifies this work as coins. It is dated 1691. Recorded culture or place: England, William and Mary, 1688-1694.
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Five Guineas: William & Mary (obverse); Crowned Shield of Arms (reverse)
- Date
- 1691
- Culture / origin
- England, William and Mary, 1688-1694
- Materials and technique
- gold
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 3.6 cm (1 7/16 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1969.201
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
William of Orange-Nassau, and his wife Mary, daughter of James II, were proclaimed joint monarchs. Thus both their heads appear on their coinage. The only other instance of this in England is in the reign of Philip and Mary, 1554–58. Below them is a small elephant representing Guinea, the origin of the metal. William and Mary were invited to the English throne after James II had been driven from it, mainly because the people feared he was about to re-establish the Church of Rome.
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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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