Plaque

Object Type
Small portraits like these were often hung from ribbons and worn as personal decoration. Painted miniatures were common in England and royal personages sometimes gave them to favoured courtiers. Producing silver medallions such as these was a contemporary Dutch practice.

People
James I (1566-1625) was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots (ruled 1542-67, died 1587) and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1545-1567). He became James VI of Scotland in 1567 at the age of 13 months and acceded to the English throne in 1603, on the death of Elizabeth I. This medal was made between 1616 and 1619. He is shown wearing the Collar of the Order of the Garter but without a crown.

Simon de Passe (possibly born in 1595, died 1647) was born in Cologne and worked as an engraver in Utrecht in The Netherlands. He spent some time in Copenhagen working for Anne of Denmark's brother Christian IV, King of Denmark-Norway (ruled 1588-1648). In England he received orders from James I to produce a series of portrait medallions in silver, perhaps as gifts for favoured courtiers.

Materials & Making
There is some discussion as to how these medals were made. The fact that a number of copies exist has led some scholars to suggest that they were cast from a mould. However, if they are examined closely, there are small differences between them. One possibility is that they were partly cast and then engraved. It is impossible to determine exactly how they were made without analysing the structure of the metal, which would risk damaging them.