Historical Notes on the Lennox or Darnley Jewel
The Darnley Jewel was made for Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, in memory of her husband, Matthew Lennox, killed while he was Regent for his grandson, James VI of Scotland.
This remarkable Jewel contains 3 large enamelled panels, and 2 smaller hidden ones, which are packed with no less than twenty-eight emblems and six verses or mottoes. As the author says: It is, in short, a little biography in hieroglyphics.
Historian Patrick Fraser Tytler undertook this interpretation of the Jewel's secrets at the command of Queen Victoria.
Historical Notes on the Lennox or Darnley Jewel: Amazon US / Amazon UK
The Dunnett connection:
The Lennoxes, especially Margaret Douglas, the Countess of Lennox, are Francis Crawford's bitterest enemies, seeking always to encompass his downfall. Their son Henry, Lord Darnley, later the father of James VI, is portrayed as a rather obnoxious child.
