The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Sovereign: Henry VIII Enthroned (obverse); Royal Arms on Tudor Rose (reverse)

Sovereign: Henry VIII Enthroned (obverse); Royal Arms on Tudor Rose (reverse)

1526–44
Diameter: 4.2 cm (1 5/8 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The Sovereign was first produced by Henry VII in 1489; he wanted a new gold coin to represent the power of his reign.

Description

During his life Henry VII had accumulated enormous wealth, and it took his son, Henry VIII, until 1542 to squander it. Henry knew how the English coinage had been debased in the past and did not see why it should not be debased again, this time for his personal benefit. Regardless of the inevitable financial catastrophe, he grasped at this easy revenue and in his last years not only debased the gold coinage to 20 ct., but the silver also, to one part silver and two parts alloy.
  • -1969
    Mrs. Emery May Holden Norweb (1895-1984), Cleveland, OH, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1969-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, and Emery May Norweb. English Gold Coins, Ancient to Modern Times, On Loan to the Cleveland Museum of Art from the Norweb Collection. [Catalog. 1968. p. 29
  • Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).
    English Gold Coins: Ancient to Modern Times. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1963).
  • {{cite web|title=Sovereign: Henry VIII Enthroned (obverse); Royal Arms on Tudor Rose (reverse)|url=false|author=|year=1526–44|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.170