– A Heart For Valentine’s Day –
We reported earlier that Damian took part in the campaign for the Tudor Heart appeal on behalf of the British Museum.
The trinket, a 24-carat gold pendant which belonged to Katherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII’s first wife, will remain in a permanent collection on public display after a hard-fought campaign to buy it.
The British Museum triumphed in the high-stakes four-month campaign to acquire the Tudor Heart after raising the £3.5 million required to secure the jewelry, ensuring it did not disappear into private hands.
There was also institutional backing, with a grant of £1.75 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and £500,000 from the Julia Rausing Trust.
The funding target was reached in time for Valentine’s Day — a fitting milestone for a treasure that represents what is often described as an “untold love story” between Henry and his first wife.
The heart features the Tudor rose entwined with Catherine’s pomegranate symbol. The word tousiors is inscribed on a banner underneath, serving as a symbol of eternal devotion.
The pendant was found by a metal detectorist in Warwickshire in 2019. It is the only surviving piece of jewelry of its kind from Henry’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon.
The pendant is already on view at the British Museum in Room 2: Collecting the World, but the museum is keen to share it more widely. It is planning a national tour that will include a display in Warwickshire, near the site where it was unearthed.
Source: The Times