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TheAlfred Jewel is a piece ofAnglo-Saxon goldsmithing work made of enamel and quartz enclosed in gold. It was discovered in 1693, inNorth Petherton,Somerset, England and is now one of the most popular exhibits at theAshmolean Museum inOxford. It has been dated to the late 9th century, in the reign ofAlfred the Great, and is inscribed"AELFRED MEC HEHT GEWYRCAN", meaning "Alfred ordered me made". The jewel was once attached to a rod, probably of wood, at its base. After decades of scholarly discussion, it is now "generally accepted" that the jewel's function was to be the handle for a pointer stick for following words when reading a book. It is an exceptional and unusual example of Anglo-Saxon jewellery.[1][2]
Although the function of the Jewel is not absolutely certain, it is believed to have been the handle or terminal for one of the precious "aestels" or staffs thatAlfred the Great is recorded as having sent to eachbishopric along with a copy of his translation ofPope Gregory the Great's bookPastoral Care. He wrote in his preface to the book:
And I will send a copy to every bishop's see in my kingdom, and in each book there is an aestel of 50 mancusses and I command, in God's name, that no man take the staff from the book, nor the book from the church.[3]
"Mancus" was a term used in early medieval Europe to denote either agold coin, with a weight of gold of 4.25 grams (2.73dwt; equivalent to the Islamicdinar,[4] and thus lighter than the Byzantinesolidus), or a unit of account of thirtysilverpence. This made it worth about a month's wages for a skilled worker, such as a craftsman or a soldier.[5]
No other context is given in the preface, but in the context of books, theOld English word "aestel" can mean a "guide", "index", and also a "handle";[6] so, it is concluded that it meant a small pointer. Other jewelled objects with a similar form have survived, all with empty sockets, such as a 9th-century example in gold and glass in theBritish Museum, found inBowleaze Cove inDorset (see below), and theyad or "Torah pointer" remains in use in Jewish practice.[7]David M. Wilson sounded a note of caution as to the connection with Alfred, noting that "in a period when royal titles meant something, there is no royal title in the inscription".[8] However the commissioning by Alfred and the function as a pointer handle are taken as firmly established byLeslie Webster in her surveyAnglo-Saxon Art of 2012,[9] as well as by the Ashmolean.[2] Other functions suggested have been as an ornament for a crown, or as apendant, though this would display the figure upside down.[2]
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The Alfred Jewel is about2+1⁄2 inches (6.4 cm) long and is made offiligreedgold, enclosing a highly polished tear-shaped piece of clearquartz "rock crystal", beneath which is set acloisonné enamel plaque, with an image of a man, perhapsChrist, with ecclesiastical symbols. The figure "closely resembles the figure of Sight in theFuller Brooch, but it is most commonly thought to represent Christ as Wisdom orChrist in Majesty", according to Wilson,[8] although Webster considers a personification of "Sight" a likely identification, also comparing it to the Fuller Brooch.[10] Around the sides of the crystal there is a rim at the top that holds the rock crystal in place, above anopenwork inscription:"AELFRED MEC HEHT GEWYRCAN" (Ælfred mec heht ġewyrċan,[ˈælv.redmekhextjeˈwyrˠ.t͡ʃɑn]), meaning "Alfred ordered me made".
An animal head at the base has as its snout a hollow socket, like those found in the other examples, showing that it was intended to hold a thin rod or stick. The back is a flat gold plate engraved with anacanthus-like plant motif,[8] orTree of Life according to Webster. Like the back of other examples, it is "suitable for sliding smoothly across the surface of a page".[11] The use of relatively large cells of enamel to create a figurative image is an innovation in Anglo-Saxon art, following Byzantine or Carolingian examples, as is the use of rock crystal as a "see-through" cover.[12] The rock crystal piece may be recycled from a Roman object.[2]
The jewel was ploughed up in 1693 atPetherton Park,North Petherton in theEnglish county ofSomerset, on land owned bySir Thomas Wroth (c. 1675–1721). North Petherton is about 8 miles (13 km) away fromAthelney, where King Alfred founded a monastery.[2] A description of the Alfred Jewel was first published in 1698, in thePhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. It was bequeathed toOxford University by Colonel Nathaniel Palmer (c. 1661–1718), and today is in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. There is a replica of the jewel in theChurch of St Mary, North Petherton and also one in the archives at Tamworth Castle. Another replica is on display in theBlake Museum, Bridgwater. In February 2015 the jewel returned to Somerset for the first time in 297 years when it was displayed for a month in theMuseum of Somerset,Taunton Castle.[13] In 2018–2019, it was displayed in theBritish Library, London as part of the "Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: Art, Word, War" exhibition.[14]
Since the discovery of the Alfred Jewel, a number of similar objects have been found. All are smaller and less elaborate, but are traceable to the same period and have a socket like that on the Alfred Jewel, suggesting that they were made for the same purpose.Simon Keynes comments that "it is perhaps only a matter of time before another is found in a context that reveals its function".[15]
The above six objects, along with the Alfred Jewel, were exhibited together inWinchester Discovery Centre in 2008, as the centrepiece of an exhibition of relics of Alfred the Great.
In a paper published in 2014, SirJohn Boardman endorsed the earlier suggestion byDavid Talbot Rice that the figure on the jewel was intended to representAlexander the Great. A medieval legend in theAlexander Romance had Alexander, wishing to see the whole world, first descending into the depths of the ocean in a sort ofdiving bell, then wanting to see the view from above. To do this he harnessed two large birds, orgriffins in other versions, with a seat for him between them. To entice them to keep flying higher he placed meat on two skewers which he held above their heads. This was quite commonly depicted in several medieval cultures, from Europe to Persia, where it may reflect earlier legends or iconographies. Sometimes the beasts are not shown, just the king holding two sticks with flower-like blobs at their ends.[30]
The scene is shown in the famous 12th-century floor mosaic inOtranto Cathedral in southern Italy, with atitulus of "ALEXANDER REX". The scene refers to knowledge coming through sight, and so would be appropriate for an aestel. Boardman detects the same meaning in the figure representing sight on the Anglo-SaxonFuller Brooch.[30]
TheEarly English Text Society, atext publication society founded in 1864 to publish Anglo-Saxon and medieval English texts, uses a representation of the enamel plaque of the Jewel (omitting the gold frame) as its emblem.[31]
TheSociety for Medieval Archaeology, established in 1957, uses a representation of the Jewel as a logo. It was drawn by Eva Sjoegren (wife ofDavid M. Wilson, one of the founders), appeared prominently on the front cover ofMedieval Archaeology, the society's journal, from 1957 to 2010, and continues to appear on the title page.[32]
In the epic poemThe Ballad of the White Horse byG. K. Chesterton (1911), King Alfred offers the Jewel to theVirgin Mary on the island ofAthelney.
One dim ancestral jewel hung
On his ruined armour grey,
He rent and cast it at her feet:
Where, after centuries, with slow feet,
Men came from hall and school and street
And found it where it lay.
— Book I, lines 178–183[33]
A replica of the Jewel is given as a birthday present in chapter six ofNancy Mitford's comic novel,The Pursuit of Love (1945).[34][35]
InSusan Cooper'sThe Dark is Rising (1973), one of the six Signs of the Light, the Sign of Fire, is based on the Jewel. It also is made with gold and bears the inscription"LIHT MEC HEHT GEWYRCAN", or "The Light ordered me made".[36]
The Jewel is referred to inRoy Harper's 19-minute song "One of Those Days in England (Parts 2–10)" from the albumBullinamingvase (1977).[37]
TheInspector Morse episode"The Wolvercote Tongue" (1987) centres on the theft of a fictional Saxon artefact based on the Jewel.[38][39]
A near identical aestel (with the Christ-like figure wearing a red tunic instead of a green one) appeared inBBC Four'sDetectorists in 2015, first appearing in series two, and playing a more pivotal role in the following Christmas Special.[40][41]
In anepisode of the historical fiction seriesThe Last Kingdom, Alfred sends out his nephewAethelwold as his envoy and hands him the Jewel to use as a sign of Alfred's royal authority.[42]
