A Legacy of Affection and Power: Queen Joanna Enríquez’s Intimate Bequest to Isabella the Catholic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6093/1593-2214/13687Keywords:
Crown of Aragon, Crown of Castile, Juana Enríquez, Isabella the Catholic, material culture, royal jewels, Books of Hours, 15th centuryAbstract
This article argues that the balas-ruby necklace and the Book of Hours of Juana Enríquez (BPR, II/2104), transmitted from Queen Juana Enríquez (1425-68) to Isabella of Castile (1451-1504) on the occasion of her marriage in 1469, constitute a meaningful pair of transmitted objects. Drawing on the analysis of both pieces and on a documentary corpus comprising the pawning records of the necklace, its appraisal by the silversmith March Rosell, the inventory of Juana Enríquez’s possessions, and direct examination of the manuscript, the study reconstructs the trajectories of the two objects and situates them within the broader framework of late medieval European queenship. The findings show that jewel and book performed complementary symbolic functions: the necklace operated as a jewel of state, a form of financial security, and an emblem of legitimation, while the manuscript reflected ideals of interiority and contemplation associated with the devotio moderna. Considered together, the two objects offer a more complete image of the queen and reveal how female royal material culture could be organised into meaningful ensembles within the political culture of the Late Middle Ages.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Aida Ferri Riera
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
RM Journal is an open access, online publication, with licence:
| CCPL Creative Commons Attribution |
The author retains the copyright of his work whilst granting anyone the possibility “to reproduce, distribute, publicly communicate, publicly exhibit, display, perform and recite the work”, provided that the author and the title of the journal are cited correctly. When submitting the text for publication the author is furthermore required to declare that the contents and the structure of the work are original and that it does not by any means compromise the rights of third parties nor the obligations connected to the safeguard of the moral and economic rights of other authors or other right holders, both for texts, images, photographs, tables, as well as for other parts which compose the contribution. The author furthermore declares that he/she is conscious of the sanctions prescribed by the penal code and by the Italian Criminal and Special Laws for false documents and the use false documents, and that therefore Reti Medievali is not liable to responsibilities of any nature, civil, administrative or penal, and that the author agrees to indemnify and hold Reti Medievali harmless from all requests and claims by third parties.
