The British Museum has announced it has raised the £3.5 million of funding needed to acquire the Tudor Heart Pendant – the unique 24-carat-gold pendant linked to Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon – for its permanent collection, ensuring it will be on public display for generations to come.
The dazzling heart-shaped pendant was discovered by a metal detectorist in Warwickshire in 2019 and is the only piece of jewellery of its kind from the time of Henry VIII’s marriage to his first wife Katherine of Aragon. It shows the Tudor rose with Katherine’s pomegranate symbol and beneath, a banner reads tousiors, the old French for ‘always’, a poignant declaration of an eternal connection.
The campaign to acquire the Tudor Heart Pendant started last October with the aim of raising enough funding before April 2026 to keep the Heart in a public collection.
Thanks to a £1.75 million award from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, along with major awards from other arts bodies including the Julia Rausing Trust which gave £500,000, Art Fund, including a contribution from The Rought Fund, who gave £400,000 and the American Friends of the British Museum who gave £300,000 – plus donations from individual philanthropists and donations totalling £380,000 from over 45,000 people – the fundraising campaign was able to reach its target in time.
Dr Nicholas Cullinan OBE, Director of the British Museum, said: “I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our campaign and to the National Heritage Memorial Fund for so generously awarding £1.75 million. The success of the campaign shows the power of history to spark the imagination and why objects like the Tudor Heart should be in a museum. This beautiful survivor tells us about a piece of English history few of us knew, but in which we can all now share. I am looking forward to saying more soon on our plans for it to tour the UK in the future.”
Simon Thurley, Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “The Tudor Heart is an extraordinary insight into the culture of Henry VIII’s court, and I am delighted that Memorial Fund support will enable it to go on public display, where people can enjoy it and learn what it tells us about this fascinating period in our history.”
“The Memorial Fund exists to save the UK’s most outstanding heritage and make it publicly accessible, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK. Since 1980 we have supported nearly 1,500 acquisitions and we are delighted to count the Tudor Heart as part of the growing and timeless collection of UK heritage that belongs to all of us forever.”
For further information: britishmuseum.org
Image: The Tudor Heart Pendant © The Trustees of the British Museum
Smith Greenfield is an independent insurance broker specialising in insurance for exclusive lifestyles and collectors of valuable objects including: art insurance, antiques insurance, jewellery insurance, watch insurance, vintage car insurance, fine wine insurance and more. To discuss specialist insurance for your lifestyle, please contact our Premier Client Adviser, Imran Moideen: imran.moideen@smithgreenfield.co.uk