Sovereign: Henry VIII Enthroned (obverse); Royal Arms on Tudor Rose (reverse)
Unknown Artist
1526–44
Medium
gold
Dimensions
diam. 4.2 cm
Classification
Coins
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Norweb Collection
Accession Number
1969.170
About this artwork
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.