In 1554, a Milanese jeweller by the name of Jacopo da Trezzo carved a gold medal.

It was one of only 11 he carved, but remains one of only two Mary Tudor medals, due to the shortness of her reign: between 1553 and 1558.

Da Trezzo was a well respected artisan, also being employed by the Duke of Florence.

Mary I's reign was famously bloody, as she carried out 300 burnings in the course of trying to force England to become a Catholic country again.

It is one of many medals coming up for auction in London, as part of the collection of New Yorker Lawrence Stack.

The medal, once part of the Rothschild and Gaines collection, was recently displayed at the National Gallery as part of a Renaissance collection. Medals of this time can give us ideas of changing styles and art history.

When the medal was last sold, in 2005, it went for a record £243,000.

The Morton & Eden's auction takes place on December 9.