Double Ring Brooch thumbnail 1
Double Ring Brooch thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Double Ring Brooch

1200-1300 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This unique jewel is likely to have been made for a wealthy lady or perhaps, in view of its size, a child. It was used to fasten a garment at the neck.

The goldsmith has included two tiny heads ( perhaps lions or dogs,visible above and below the ring brooches), looking down and biting on the straps. These straps are set with imitation emeralds, which were believed to be effective against poison.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Gold, cast; sapphire
Brief description
Double ring brooch set with a sapphire and green pastes. England, 1200-1300.
Physical description
Double ring-brooch: a brooch with a ring at each end, and set with a tear-shaped sapphire and green pastes (in imitation of emeralds).
Dimensions
  • Height: 6.5cm
  • Width: 1.3cm
  • Depth: 0.5cm
Credit line
Purchased with Art Fund support and assistance from the Murray Bequest
Subject depicted
Summary
This unique jewel is likely to have been made for a wealthy lady or perhaps, in view of its size, a child. It was used to fasten a garment at the neck.

The goldsmith has included two tiny heads ( perhaps lions or dogs,visible above and below the ring brooches), looking down and biting on the straps. These straps are set with imitation emeralds, which were believed to be effective against poison.
Bibliographic references
  • Campbell, Marian, Medieval Jewellery in Europe 1100-1500, London, V&A Publishing, 2009, p. 58, fig. 58
  • Phillips, Clare, Jewellery from Antiquity to the Present, Thames and Hudson, 1996, p.44-5
  • Scarisbrick, Diana Jewellery in Britain 1066-1837, 1994
Collection
Accession number
M.26-1993

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Record createdSeptember 22, 2004
Record URL
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