Monogram Jewelry of the Renaissance

Portrait of a Woman by Ambrogio de Predis, c. 1490, with an IHS pendant from the Art Institute of Chicago, 1575–1625.

Today we will look at a Renaissance jewelry style that we see across many historical portraits and engravings: the monogram jewel.

We often associate monograms and initial jewelry with contemporary bling. However, initials have been HOT since the Renaissance. So let's return to the Renaissance and check out some monogram jewelry. Before we start, you'll need to know: pearls were a thing, big table-cut gems were a thing, enamel was a thing, international trade was a thing, status was a thing, and gold was a thing. #Tudorvibes

I will touch on two types of monogram jewelry: the secular and the sacred, both of which are signs of power and influence. Renaissance nobles were expected to present themselves and dress in reflection of their standing in society. Jewelry and ornament in the Renaissance period were a clue into one's social status. Adornments were significant objects in portraiture, often created to display and enforce positions and allegiances, or to celebrate and endorse specific marriage alliances.

Here we see one of the very few surviving jewelry pieces from Queen Elizabeth I. Notice the phoenix and initials on the reverse of the pendant.

A Rebirth

Renaissance translates to "rebirth," which makes a lot of sense when we think about what happened during this time. The Renaissance takes place over a few hundred years and fills the gap between medieval times and "modern" living. It started in Italy and "crawled" its way to England. We will generalize a bit here and look at some Tudor jewels. Before starting, it is essential to understand that the Renaissance period is full of cultural and regional nuances that would be difficult to encompass in one blog post. The Renaissance is so complex that it is broken into sections, we won't go that deep today.

Jewelry designs from Hans Holbein the Younger.

Access to Information = Trends Are Born

The 15th century saw the invention and use of the printing press, which allowed for the travel of information; we also have new important trade routes and geographical interests, which allowed for the importing and exporting of precious materials on a larger scale than ever before. When we look at European Renaissance jewels from countries like Germany, Spain, and France, we notice a lot of striking similarities between the jewels. The printing press was a catalyst for the birth of trends on a larger scale. Printed reproductions of engravings could be shared between goldsmiths and copied.

Here we see the infamous Chequers Ring. This is another surviving piece of Queen Elizabeth I's jewelry. It also happens to be a fantastic example of monogram jewelry.

The Chequers Ring

Above, we see the famous Chequers Ring. This ring is one of the few surviving pieces of jewelry from Queen Elizabeth I. Here we see a diamond-set letter E overlapping a blue enamel R — E (Elizabeth) and R (Regina). The Chequers Ring opens to reveal a double portrait miniature of Queen Elizabeth I and another portrait most presume to be her mother, Anne Boleyn. Anne was executed when Elizabeth was two years old.

The ring features sheet gold wrapped around a mother-of-pearl base, finished with bright rubies. Notice the flat tables of the rubies. On the reverse, we see an enameled phoenix, a symbol with which the queen was often associated. We can see another example of her with the phoenix emblem in the famous Phoenix Portrait attributed to Nicholas Hilliard. (Remember that name, Nicholas Hilliard — we aren't done talking about him.) It is fantastic that this ring has survived despite its fragile material.

The Lyte Jewel

Figure 1. This glittering treasure is known as the Lyte Jewel (1610-ish). The bejeweled monogram locket features a large gem-set initial "IR" (Iacobus Rex, Latin). This jewel symbolized James's rule as the first Stuart king to claim the title King of Great Britain. This locket was presented by King James to Thomas Lyte in 1610 as a response to an illuminated pedigree that had been gifted to King James. (The pedigree is like a fancy, illustrated family tree.) This historical monogram locket is set with twenty-five table-cut diamonds and four rose cuts. We can see the detail in the enamel and open metalwork on the front of this locket.

Figure 2. The Lyte Jewel locket contains a portrait of James VI and I of Scotland and England (reigned 1603–25), painted by Nicholas Hilliard. Nicholas Hilliard (1547–1619) served as limner (miniaturist) to Queen Elizabeth I and later to King James I of England, and was also a trained goldsmith and jeweller. Notice the rich red and blue enamels on the reverse of the locket's face. No surface was left undecorated. Like many Renaissance pendants, the back of this jewel is also enameled. (You can read more about the Lyte Jewel in the sources below.)

Figure 3. Here we see another style of initial pendant featuring table-cut gems, from around the same period as the Lyte Jewel (1600–1610). This pendant features the initials FR in diamonds and rubies. The enamel is worn, but you can see where it remains. The pendant reads: VIVIT POST FUNERA VIRTUS (Virtue outlives death).

Jane Seymour by Hans Holbein the Younger, with two pendants from the V&A Museum.

Sacred Bejeweled Initials

Now let's talk about religious monograms. Whether you are religious or not, these historical jewels are fascinating! This monogram, "IHS," is a symbol for the name of Jesus. In the portrait above, we see Jane Seymour, queen of England (for a short time) and the third wife of King Henry VIII. She is painted by Hans Holbein the Younger. We can see that she is wearing a religious monogram pendant. The two pendants on the right are similar examples in the V&A Museum collection.

"IHS pendants were very popular in the second half of the 15th century and the 16th century but were still worn during the 17th century, as can be seen in portraits of the time. This may be due to the prophylactic powers attributed to the Holy Name and the stones. The IHS jewels were the religious counterparts of the secular jeweled monograms." — Victoria & Albert Museum

An early 17th-century heart-shaped rock crystal pendant enclosing the sacred monogram "IHS," a cross, and a heart pierced by three nails in an aureole, all in enameled gold, with an outer frame of enameled gold. (V&A Museum)

Among the most striking examples of the sacred monogram are the design drawings that survive in Renaissance jewellery albums. The album of designs by Arnold Lulls renders the "IHS" in long diamonds cut in triangular section, set in gold with a crown of thorns and scrolling coloured enamels, finished with a drop pearl. Hans Holbein the Younger also left important jewelry design work — the relationship between artists and goldsmiths during the Renaissance was close, and many artists, including Botticelli, studied in goldsmith shops early in their careers. Holbein's intimate understanding of jewelry shows throughout his portraits.

Here we have two portraits of Alethea Howard, Countess of Arundel (1585–1654). Notice her "IHS" pendant. According to written history, she was both a scientist and a passionate patron of the arts. She wears this pendant in many of her portraits.

Here we see another IHS pendant from the jewelry book of Duchess Anna, wife of Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria. The book was an inventory of the jewelry owned by the duke and his wife, commissioned in 1552. We can see that this IHS pendant has more enamel and figural gold work than the other pendants we reviewed.

These IHS pendants take many forms, but they are important because they identify the wearer as a religious, prudent member of the court. Jewels like these signified devotion to religion and are a loud beacon of social status, religious preference, and wealth. The IHS pendant in the book of Duchess Anna is significantly more figural than the table-cut diamond examples we see in the portraits and V&A Museum examples. Notice that the back of the pendant is intricately enameled. This was very common for Renaissance jewelry. To the left, we see another IHS pendant design in blackwork printing. This shows that the piece would have likely been executed in enamel. You can read more about the connection between blackwork design and goldsmithing here.

This finely wrought pendant was designed by the Dutch goldsmith known as Master P.R.K. It consists of fine openwork with an IHS monogram in the middle. 1609. Source: the MET.

In short, monograms have been around for a long time, and some of the most elaborate and exciting examples come right out of the Renaissance! You can visit the sources below to learn more about the examples shared in this post.

References / Sources

• The Lyte Jewel — British Museum
• IHS pendant by Master P.R.K. — The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Duchess Anna's Jewelry Book — Library of Congress
• Designs for jewellery by Arnold Lulls — Victoria & Albert Museum