17th century enamelled gold Gnadenpfennig pendant - King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, (9 December 1594 – 6 November 1632) c.1630

Small but super-rare, this is a gnadenpfennig (favour-penny) which would have been given by the protestant hero, King Gustavus of Sweden, to a devoted follower during the Thirty Year War (1618-1648)

Regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of all time, King Gustavus’ most notable victory was the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631), the Protestants’ first major victory of the Thirty Years War. In November 1632 he led the protestants to victory at the Battle of Lützen - where he was fatally wounded and died on the battlefield.

Also illustrated is a similar piece from the Rijkesmuseum and a portrait of the British mercenary Daniel Goodricke (1597-1657/8) with detail of him wearing a similar gnadenpfennig on his sash

Approximately 20x14mm including small top loop. Losses to enamel and gold, restoration to gold top ring area.

SOLD