The Tudor top fag out by King Henry VIII is one of the most notable pieces of turn a loss treasure in British history . Now , more than 400 years after its disappearance , the crown ’s $ 2.7 million Au centerpiece has been unearthed by a metallic element detectorist in Northamptonshire , England , theNorthamptonshire Telegraphreports .
In September 2017,Kevin Duckettwas search for treasure in a field at the Market Harborough Golf Club when his metal detector pick up something beneath his feet . He only had to travail down a few inches before uncovering the 1.4 - inch - tall , 24 - karat statuette . Though he could n’t immediately identify the artifact , Duckett knew it dated back to the Tudor period , and he have a go at it it had to be something special .
After years of reaching out to expert and conducting his own research , Duckett was finally able to tie the piece to the reign of King Henry VIII . The gold figurine , which depicts Henry VI as a saint , was made for King Henry VIII in the early sixteenth century . The state crown in the first place bore figurines of St. George , Jesus Christ , and a young Christ with the Virgin Mary . In light of the Reformation , Henry VIII had these totem removed and replaced with three ideal king : St. Edmund , Edward the Confessor , and Henry VI .
The crest is a precious art object of English history , and for centuries , historians fear it was lost for secure . When the monarchy fell in1649 , Oliver Cromwell ’s anti - royalist parliament melted down many purple treasures to make coin and trade off their jewels . Duckett ’s discovery reassert that at least one part of King Henry VIII ’s summit survived . How it ended up in a field near Market Harborough remain a enigma .
The artifact has been handed over to the British Museum , which will further assess its authenticity . The Sunreports that the figure could be deserving an estimated$2.7 million , a portion of which may go to Duckett and the proprietor of the site where it was uncovered .
[ h / tNorthamptonshire Telegraph ]
