British Museum acquires 3.5m golden pendant linked to Henry VIII after high-profile campaign

"The British Museum has successfully raised the £3.5m it required to acquire the Tudor Heart, an intricately decorated golden pendant with links to Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. The purchase has been made possible after a four-month fundraising campaign, and thanks to donations including £1.75m from the National Heritage Memorial Fund as well as contributions from more than 45,000 members of the public."

"The pendant was discovered by Charlie Clarke, an amateur metal detectorist, in 2019, in a field in Warwickshire, UK-and was reported under the Treasure Act 1996, which gives museums "first dibs" on potential treasures. The front is decorated with the white and red Tudor rose, intertwined with a pomegranate bush, symbols relating to the English king Henry and Katherine respectively. On the back are the letters "H" and "K", bound together with white thread."

"Speaking to The Art Newspaper at the launch of the fundraising campaign last year, King explained that research undertaken by the British Museum suggests that the pendant may have been created for a tournament marking the marriage of Henry and Katherine's daughter Mary to the French heir apparent in 1518. She also emphasised its artistic and archaeological value, explaining that "absolutely nothing [else] of this complexity or type" survives from Henry VIII's early reign."

The British Museum raised £3.5m to acquire the Tudor Heart, a gold pendant linked to Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, through a four-month campaign and donations including £1.75m from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and more than 45,000 public contributors. The pendant was found by amateur detectorist Charlie Clarke in 2019 in Warwickshire and reported under the Treasure Act 1996. The front shows a white and red Tudor rose intertwined with a pomegranate; the back bears the letters "H" and "K" bound with white thread and a banner reading TOVS IORS. Research suggests a 1518 tournament origin tied to Mary’s marriage; nothing else of comparable complexity survives from Henry VIII’s early reign.

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