A gold medal for 'The Departure of the Earl of Leicester from the Low Countries 1587'tests as 23 carat gold A mid to late 19th-century later striking taken from the 16th-century original, the obverse featuring the bust of Sir Robert Dudley (1532-1588) the Earl of Leicester facing left, wearing a feathered cap, dressed in armour and draped, with legend: ROBE. CO. LEIC. ET. IN. BELG. GVBER. 1587: The reverse featuring a dog in a landscape which departs from a flock of sheep, with legend: INVITVS DESERO in field below the dog and around the edge: NON. GREGHM. SED. INGRATOS., 48mm diam., weight 69.5gms.Footnotes:ProvenancePurchased by Vernon James Watney (24 October 1860 - 27 August 1928) of Watney Brewery fame, and owner of Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire.Thence by descent to the present owner. Sir Robert Dudley (1532/33-1588), the first Earl of Leicester, was the favourite, and possible lover, of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Handsome and hugely ambitious, he failed to win the Queen's hand in marriage but remained her close friend to the end of his life. His arrogance, however, undermined his effectiveness as a political and military leader, and this medal effectively illustrates this character trait.Queen Elizabeth I was always trying to find some position to appease Dudley, her childhood friend and closest advisor, endeavouring to make him feel 'important' within her court. When a Spanish loyalist assassinated Prince William of Orange, the leader of the Dutch Revolt, in 1584, Queen Elizabeth I of England sent Robert Dudley to support the Dutch rebels. Consequently, in 1586, he was given the grand title of Governor and Captain-General of Holland, Zealand and the United Provinces (see 'Medallic illustrations 1', no 90, p.134). However, Dudley's subsequent conduct, rather than helping the fledging Republic, created much dissatisfaction and suspicion. The Dutch complained about his behaviour to the Queen, and, taking advantage of his temporary absence, conferred the command of the armies upon Maurice, second son of the late Prince of Orange. Dudley, irritated and thwarted in his ambitions yet again, petulantly quitted the Provinces in 1587. To demonstrate his pique at his dismissal, he had especially commissioned medals cast, which he dramatically distributed amongst his friends and allies on his departure. The obverse shows a three-quarters length bust of the Earl Leicester in armour, with a plumed hat, beard and an up-turned moustache, and the legend declaring his gubernatorial office. The reverse bear variants of a type showing a sheepdog unwillingly leaving his flock, representing Dudley and the date of 1587 in Roman numerals. The legend in Latin translates to 'Unwillingly I forsake not the flock, but the ungrateful'. Some medals were said to have been cast in gold, but none are known to exist today. Contemporaneous ones, cast and chased in lead, bronze, and occasionally silver, are extremely rare. Examples of originals can be found in the British Museum, under museum number M.6894 and The Frick Collection, accession number 2016.2.185; occasionally they appear at auction. The gold medal on offer today was presumably a re-strike taken from an original and as such is less sharp, but none-the-less a rare example.Sir Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, died on 4th September 1588 at Cornbury Park, in Oxfordshire. He had been suffering from a recurring stomach ailment and was actually on his way to Buxton to take the waters. Unfortunately, he never made it, as he was taken violently ill at Cornbury and never left. With Robert Dudley's passing, Elizabeth I confined herself to her private apartment for days, overwhelmed by grief for her 'brother and best friend'. Elizabeth I kept a letter Robert sent her six days before his death, in a treasure box by her bed. It was found after she died in 1603, and had been touchingly labelled 'His last letter'. Vernon James Watney (1860-1928) was a master brewer and politician, who purchased Cornbury Park, an estate of about 5000 acres, in 1901. Its parkland is mainly surrounded by an ancient forest, the Forest of Wychwood, farmland and a deer park. Watney was also High sheriff for Oxfordshire in 1908 and a member of Oxfordshire County Council, serving as vice chairman in 1927. It is apparent that Watney developed a fascination for Cornbury Park and the surrounding Forest, so much so that he wrote a book entitled 'Cornbury and the Forest of Wychwood'. It traces the history of Cornbury Park and the forest back one thousand years, to the Domesday period. This large tome was privately published by Hatchards, in 1910. Because of Watney's passion for Cornbury Park, he appeared to seek out items which had a shared history and association with the estate. To this end, he purchased the gold medal on offer of Sir Robert Dudley, some time after 1901. Afterall, Sir Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, had taken his last breath at Cornbury and as such was inextricably linked to the house that Watney had since purchased. It seems fitting that Vernon James Watney bought Sir Robert Dudley home.LiteratureEdward Hawkins, 'Medallic Illustrations 1 / Medallic illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland to the death of George II', (BMP: London, 1885), volume one, p.142 no 103Johann David Köhler, 'Historische Münz-Belustigung', Nürnberg, 1729-1750, XVI. 385Johann Hieronymus Lochner, 'Samlung Merkwürdiger Medaillen', 8 vol., Nürnberg, 1737-1744, VIII. 177.Gerard Van Loon Gerard, 'Histoire Metallique des XVII Provinces days Pays-Bas', 5 vol, La Haye, 1732-1837 (fol.) (There is also an edition in Dutch, but with different paging), I. 375John Pinkerton, 'The Medallic History of England to the Revolution', (Edwards & Son: London, 1790) (fol.), viii 1 Michael Vickers, 'The Medal of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester in the Bibliothèque Nationale', Numismatic Chronicle (1981), pp.117-119, plates 22-3For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
