The Tudor Heart

Speaker: Rachel King

Discover the remarkable story of a spectacular chance find of a pendant associated with Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon, as well as Mary, their only surviving child.

Known as the Tudor Heart, the object comprises a heart-shaped pendant with enamelled motifs, suspended from a chain by an enamelled clasp. Over three metres of gold wire have been used to make the chain, the oldest known example of its type to survive. Together the pendant, chain and clasp weigh over 0.3 kilograms and are largely 24 carat gold. Found in 2019 and recently saved for the nation following a £3.5m fundraising campaign, the pendant and chain have been dated to the last years of the 1510s.

British Museum curator Rachel King will reveal the significance of this dazzling piece of jewellery. She’ll explore how the object is an important witness to Henry’s ambitions in the early years of his long reign and how it marks his first and longest marriage. It also commemorates his daughter’s betrothal to the infant son of the king of France and shows the magnificence of Henry’s court before the arrival of Hans Holbein the Younger changed its expression completely.

Join Rachel, author of Object in Focus: The Tudor Heart, and learn about a masterfully crafted work and its importance as historical evidence for pivotal years in English history.

Find out more about the and the campaign to save it for the nation.

Book sales

You can buy copies of many of our speakers’ books from Fox Lane Books, a local independent bookseller and Festival partner. In some cases, author signed bookplates are available too.

Image credit: The Trustees of the British Museum

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