The Lyte Jewel
- Audio guide stop: 103
- Gallery: Room 2a
- Maker: Nicholas Hilliard
- Made in: England
- Date: 1610-1611
- Object type: pendant, miniature
- Materials: gold; diamond; enamel; vellum
- Museum number: WB.167
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is "The Lyte Jewel," a small gold pendant set with 29 diamonds and enamel. It contains a miniature portrait of King James I as a young man, painted by Nicholas Hilliard. Hilliard, renowned for his miniature paintings, was also a skilled goldsmith, and this jewel reflects his craftsmanship.
The pendant opens to reveal the portrait inside, and the front is adorned with diamonds and fine enamel work in ruby and sapphire blue. The cover is openwork, with diamonds surrounding the portrait. Inscribed at the center of the cover is an "IR" monogram.
Created in England around 1610, this jewel was a royal gift—King James I gave it to Thomas Lyte, a member of a prominent Somerset family. It remained in the family for over a century before eventually passing into the collection of Baron Ferdinand Rothschild.
The jewel shows the close relationship between portraiture and jewelry in the early 17th century. Miniature paintings like this were highly treasured and often exchanged as signs of favor or loyalty.
See it in person
The Lyte Jewel is on display in Room 2a at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 103, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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