Crown gold sovereign of Elizabeth I

ca. 1593–1601

Not on view

In 1489, Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty and grandfather of Elizabeth I (b. 1533; r. 1558–1603), issued the first gold sovereign. It was England’s first coin to be valued at one pound (20 shillings). The gold sovereign bore no denomination and was literally worth its weight as bullion. Succeeding Tudor monarchs issued sovereigns bearing their own likenesses, enhancing their majesty with precious coins that embodied the fiscal might of England. The portrait of Elizabeth I was the first on a sovereign to show the English monarch in bust length, a convention probably adapted from Jacopo da Trezzo’s medallic portrait in gold of Elizabeth’s predecessor, Mary Tudor. The minute details of Elizabeth’s elaborate brocade dress, jewels, and crown are hammer struck revealing the skill of the Royal Mint masters in London.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Crown gold sovereign of Elizabeth I
Maker: The Royal Mint (London, founded 886 CE )
Date: ca. 1593–1601
Culture: British
Medium: Gold
Dimensions: Confirmed: 3/16 × 1 1/2 in. (0.4 × 3.8 cm)
Classification: Coins
Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019
Object Number: 2019.283.126
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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