The Dunstable Swan Jewel
Medieval, around AD 1400
From France or England
The Dunstable Swan Jewel is a livery badge of the highest order
and quality. To wear such an item was a declaration of allegiance
to a noble family or a king. It is made from opaque white enamel
fused over gold, a technique known as émail en ronde bosse
that developed in Paris in the second half of the fourteenth
century. The chain and coronet attached to the swan's neck are also
of gold.
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.
Although descriptions of similarly fine pieces of livery
jewellery exist in documentary form, the Dunstable Swan Jewel is
the only known surviving example of such a badge. It probably
belonged to a prominent supporter of a rich and influential family,
such as the de Bohuns or the house of Lancaster. Emblems made of
less rich materials would have been distributed to supporters of
lower social status, including servants.
J. Alexander and P. Binski, Age of chivalry: art in Planta (Royal Academy, London, 1987)
J. Cherry, Medieval decorative art (London, The British Museum Press, 1991)
J. Robinson, Masterpieces: Medieval Art (London, British Museum Press, 2008)
J. Cherry, 'The Dunstable Swan Jewel', Journal of the British Archaeo (1969)