Cleveland Museum of Art
Five Guineas: William & Mary (obverse); Crowned Shield of Arms (reverse)
- Date
- 1691
- Medium
- gold
- Culture
- England, William and Mary, 1688-1694
- Department
- Medieval Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
William of Orange-Nassau, and his wife Mary, daughter of James II, were proclaimed joint monarchs. Thus both their heads appear on their coinage. The only other instance of this in England is in the reign of Philip and Mary, 1554–58. Below them is a small elephant representing Guinea, the origin of the metal. William and Mary were invited to the English throne after James II had been driven from it, mainly because the people feared he was about to re-establish the Church of Rome. The shield of arms includes Ireland, represented by a harp, and Scotland, represented by a lion.
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