A sixteenth century bridal jewel, a gift from Queen Dorothea of Denmark to the town-hall of Copenhagen

In 1557, the Danish Queen Dorothea, wife of King Christian III, gave a large bridal jewel of gilt-silver with stones, enamel and
pearls to the city of Copenhagen for daughters of mayors and councillors to borrow for their wedding celebrations at the town-hall.
The jewel, created to be used either as a brooch or a pendant, is made of multiple components. The central pelican has a tail
that had, at some stage, been extended to hold a setting with an enamelled shield plaque featuring the year 1557, the year of
the gift, and also the coat-of-arms of Sachsen-Lauenburg, belonging to Dorothea and her ancestors.
In 1986 the Museum of Copenhagen gained funding for scientific analysis of individual parts of the piece. Analysis of the backpanel and the scroll-work of its framing proved it to be of fine silver but other parts of the jewel are of lesser quality. This study of the
bridal jewel found it to be composed of components of different materials and different standards of workmanship. It is proposed
that these components were brought together, probably in 1557, and that the frame and back-panel could have originated from a
small pax/reliquary. The other parts may be reused from items in the queen’s jewellery box or outdated costume jewellery.
This paper presents the historical background to the creation of this jewel, as several issues seem relevant to the royal couple’s
situation and interests: Christian had come to power after a civil war, forcing the entire state to convert from Catholicism
to Lutheranism. He and Dorothea had for several years to ‘make ends meet’ and present an exemplary Lutheran face while
maintaining royal dignity. Dorothea is known to have re-used parts of her coronation crown in a hat ornament for her husband, so
it would not be surprising that she re-used other items to create this jewel.