Saxon & Medieval — Late Medieval; mid 15th century
Collar of Esses
This silver ornament, known as a 'collar of SS' or 'of esses', is made up of 41 links, each in the form of a letter S. These collars were an emblem of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (1340-99), of his son Henry, who became King Henry IV in 1399, and of the other Lancastrian kings Henry V and Henry VI. Collars of varying degrees of value were presented to those the king wished to honour. A silver collar like this was probably made for someone below the rank of knight: an emblem of authority for a government official or an ambassador.
Purchased with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
- Category:
- Saxon & Medieval
- Object ID:
- 84.80
- Object name:
- Collar of Esses
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- —
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- Late Medieval; mid 15th century
- Material:
silver
- Measurements/duration:
- L 700 mm (excluding pendant), H 275 mm, W 212 mm, D 10 mm (as displayed)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
Purchased with the aid of grants from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and The Goldsmiths' Company
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.