I think many of us are magpies, myself included. Put me in a museum and tell me that there are jewels to be found, and I will be there. The Victoria and Albert Museum seems to have literally everything; Beatrix Potter, Christian Dior, and even the Desperate Romantics… ahem, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. However, I sadly was there two months two early for a major jewellery exhibition. Fear not, though- I spotted this particular jewel tucked away in the medieval gallery! This is a look at the Drake Jewel, arguably the ultimate royal present.
The Drake Jewel- Info at the V&A
Queen Elizabeth I could be a difficult person to get along with, much like her father. If she loved you, she really loved you. If she hated you, you might find yourself in the Tower or somewhere less pleasant….Luckily for him, Sir Francis Drake tended to be one of her favoured explorers. Drake was an English sea captain, trader, pirate, slave trader, explorer and eventually a Vice-Admiral in the English navy. If you have heard of Drake, it may be because of his role in the Spanish Armada.
Elizabeth I gave the Drake Jewel to Sir Francis as a gift in the 1580s. It is a “Miniature painted in watercolour on vellum, enamelled gold sardonyx cameo, table-cut rubies and diamonds, pearls” (exhibition info), and quite frankly is stunning in person. (In case you were wondering, you can’t see the miniature on display here, it is closed.) The date on jewel is 1586, though it may have been given as a later date to commemorate his role in the Armada victory. Either way, I have to think that this is one of the best gifts that you could possibly receive from an employer….
Drake and Slavery
When you look at the cameo, you can see a European profile in the back- it is either a woman or clean-shaven man, with the consensus on a woman. In the foreground, there is the profile of an African man. That might seem odd for an English-made piece of jewellery from the 16th century, but it is quite appropriate for Drake. He actually started his career as slave trader, working with his cousin John Hawkins on slave trading voyages to West Africa. Although he did have some Africans working on his crews on later expeditions, he spent several years raiding West African villages and selling the slaves to Spanish Caribbean plantations.
January 2023: Thank you to a reader for sharing a link to a talk from Dr. Miranda Kaufman that includes more information on the Drake Jewel and the African man in profile here! (You can jump to the 55:00 mark for the Drake Jewel)
Have you ever heard of the Drake jewel?
Cheers,
The Historian
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Wouldn’t you think more detail would be given about the imposing figure of a black person’s profile out front. (55:00) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfTaXRFV7EA
Thank you very much for sharing this- I had not seen this talk. I had emailed the V&A to enquire further about who the prominent figure was, but unfortunately did not hear back. I will be adding this link to the post, thank you again!
Desperate Romantics… ahem, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. I LOVE IT. (One of my favorite painting genres).
Such a talented group of artists that doesn’t get nearly enough attention!!