Dunstable Swan brooch
SKU:
MRB09
£235.00
£235.00
Brooch in the shape of a swan from around 1400, gilded brass coated in white enamel.
The emblem of the swan was very popular among nobles eager to demonstrate their descent from the Swan Knight of courtly romance. The most notable English family of the fourteenth century to use this symbol was that of De Bohun. The swan was adopted by the house of Lancaster when Henry of Lancaster married Mary de Bohun in 1380. When Henry became King Henry IV in 1399 the swan badge became associated with the Prince of Wales.
The original is in the British museum. 3.5cm x 3cm approx.