Pendant and Chain thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Pendant and Chain

ca. 1902 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

C. R. Ashbee was a man of immense talents and energy and a defining figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement. In 1888 he founded the Guild of Handicraft in the East End of London with the intention of reviving traditional craft skills and providing satisfying employment in a deprived area of the city. Trained originally as an architect, he is known also for his highly innovative furniture, metalwork, silver and jewellery designs.

The peacock was one of Ashbee's favourite and most distinctive motifs and he is known to have designed about a dozen peacock jewels in the years around 1900. In this example the bird is decorated with colourful enamels, a popular technique among Arts and Crafts jewellers. It sits on top of a turquoise matrix, highlighting another theme of Arts and Crafts jewellery - the use of unusual, un-cut stones.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Pendant
  • Chain
Materials and techniques
Enamelled gold, sivler, turquoise matrix and three turquoises set in the chain.
Brief description
Pendant in the form of a peacock with chain, enamelled gold, silver, set with turquoises, designed by C.R. Ashbee and made by the Guild of Handicraft Ltd, London, about 1902
Physical description
Enamelled gold & silver peacock pendant and chain, peacock curved around turquoise matrix; three turquoises set in the chain.
Dimensions
  • Height: 25.6cm
  • Width: 3.7cm
  • Depth: 0.8cm
The measurements reflect the dimensions of the object as a whole.
Style
Object history
Made in London, about 1902. Designed by C.R. Ashbee and made by the Guild of Handicraft Ltd. The piece has been altered; when published in 1902 the chain was bridged by an elaborate trellis.
Subjects depicted
Summary
C. R. Ashbee was a man of immense talents and energy and a defining figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement. In 1888 he founded the Guild of Handicraft in the East End of London with the intention of reviving traditional craft skills and providing satisfying employment in a deprived area of the city. Trained originally as an architect, he is known also for his highly innovative furniture, metalwork, silver and jewellery designs.

The peacock was one of Ashbee's favourite and most distinctive motifs and he is known to have designed about a dozen peacock jewels in the years around 1900. In this example the bird is decorated with colourful enamels, a popular technique among Arts and Crafts jewellers. It sits on top of a turquoise matrix, highlighting another theme of Arts and Crafts jewellery - the use of unusual, un-cut stones.
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.330:1, 2-1959

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Record createdApril 8, 2005
Record URL
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