Uploaded March 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
What are the HIDDEN MEANINGS within the DRAKE JEWEL, the fabulous and wildly expensive gift Queen Elizabeth I supposedly gave to Sir Francis Drake in the 1580s or early 1590s, possibly to commemorate his defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588? In this week’s historical jewellery documentary from History Calling we examine this rare and incredible piece of surviving Tudor jewellery which may be seen in contemporary portraits of Elizabeth’s famous sea captain and pirate, Sir Francis Drake. This pendant is comprised of a cameo of a black emperor and a white woman on the outside with a miniature portrait of Queen Elizabeth I on the inside, along with a picture of a phoenix. The miniature was painted by Sir Nicholas Hilliard. It is also set in gold and encrusted with numerous jewels, including rubies, diamonds and a cluster of pearls at its base, terminating in one large tear-drop pearl. What is the symbolism of this pendant though? When we decode the Drake jewel, what can it tell us about attitudes towards black people in Tudor England and about how Elizabeth I wanted to be depicted in portraiture, even in her later life? Furthermore, how has it made its way from Sir Francis Drake to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where it now resides? In this video you’ll get all the answers as I discuss its mythological inspirations (including to the god Saturn and goddess Astraeus) and its ties to English imperialism in the 16th century.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
FASHION AND JEWELLERY PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0H2taj_rXWmqyI3BoTbQfFn
ANNE BOLEYN’S B NECKLACE
youtu.be/RrODYM4mRdM
TUDOR QUEENS’ NECKLACE
youtu.be/Yrs5FvcDlvs
THE DARNLEY OR LENNOX JEWEL
youtu.be/UjfjVN7_2Bc
THE HOPE DIAMOND
youtu.be/HxQ6Vq5VDVM
WILD HISTORY OF SCOTLAND’S CROWN JEWELS
ttps://youtu.be/EJ6yp90SUWQ
GEAR USED
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
MAIN SOURCES
Karen Dalton, ‘Art for the Sake of Dynasty: The Black Emperor in the Drake Jewel and Elizabethan Imperial Imagery’ in Peter Erickson and Clark Hulse (eds), Early modern visual culture: representation, race, empire in Renaissance England (Pennsylvania, 2000).
Meryl Bailey, ‘"SALVATRIX MUNDI": REPRESENTING QUEEN ELIZABETH I AS A CHRIST TYPE’ in Studies in Iconography, Vol. 29 (2008), pp. 176-215.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
THUMBNAIL: pictures of Drake jewel and Elizabeth by History Calling. Portrait of Sir Francis Drake, Royal Museums Greenwich.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
What are the HIDDEN MEANINGS within the DRAKE JEWEL, the fabulous and wildly expensive gift Queen Elizabeth I supposedly gave to Sir Francis Drake in the 1580s or early 1590s, possibly to commemorate his defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588? In this week’s historical jewellery documentary from History Calling we examine this rare and incredible piece of surviving Tudor jewellery which may be seen in contemporary portraits of Elizabeth’s famous sea captain and pirate, Sir Francis Drake. This pendant is comprised of a cameo of a black emperor and a white woman on the outside with a miniature portrait of Queen Elizabeth I on the inside, along with a picture of a phoenix. The miniature was painted by Sir Nicholas Hilliard. It is also set in gold and encrusted with numerous jewels, including rubies, diamonds and a cluster of pearls at its base, terminating in one large tear-drop pearl. What is the symbolism of this pendant though? When we decode the Drake jewel, what can it tell us about attitudes towards black people in Tudor England and about how Elizabeth I wanted to be depicted in portraiture, even in her later life? Furthermore, how has it made its way from Sir Francis Drake to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where it now resides? In this video you’ll get all the answers as I discuss its mythological inspirations (including to the god Saturn and goddess Astraeus) and its ties to English imperialism in the 16th century.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
FASHION AND JEWELLERY PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0H2taj_rXWmqyI3BoTbQfFn
ANNE BOLEYN’S B NECKLACE
youtu.be/RrODYM4mRdM
TUDOR QUEENS’ NECKLACE
youtu.be/Yrs5FvcDlvs
THE DARNLEY OR LENNOX JEWEL
youtu.be/UjfjVN7_2Bc
THE HOPE DIAMOND
youtu.be/HxQ6Vq5VDVM
WILD HISTORY OF SCOTLAND’S CROWN JEWELS
ttps://youtu.be/EJ6yp90SUWQ
GEAR USED
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
MAIN SOURCES
Karen Dalton, ‘Art for the Sake of Dynasty: The Black Emperor in the Drake Jewel and Elizabethan Imperial Imagery’ in Peter Erickson and Clark Hulse (eds), Early modern visual culture: representation, race, empire in Renaissance England (Pennsylvania, 2000).
Meryl Bailey, ‘"SALVATRIX MUNDI": REPRESENTING QUEEN ELIZABETH I AS A CHRIST TYPE’ in Studies in Iconography, Vol. 29 (2008), pp. 176-215.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
THUMBNAIL: pictures of Drake jewel and Elizabeth by History Calling. Portrait of Sir Francis Drake, Royal Museums Greenwich.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
