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

Rosette

1100-1400 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Rosette, gold, with holes for a double string. Gold, pierced and embossed.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Gold, pierced and embossed.
Brief description
Gold ornament, pierced and embossed, probably from a necklace; Egypt, possibly Fatimid Caliphate, Cairo, about 1100-1400
Physical description
Rosette, gold, with holes for a double string. Gold, pierced and embossed.
Dimensions
  • Height: 2.8cm
  • Width: 2.9cm
  • Depth: 0.7cm
Object history
The Reverend Greville John Chester (1830-1892), born in Denton, Norfolk, studied at Oxford and became an ordained clergyman before sickness forced him to retire in 1865. For his ailing health, he was encouraged to travel to Egypt, making his first visit that year; he subsequently travelled there almost every year until his death, alongside journeys elsewhere across the Mediterranean and Near East. Each year, Chester bought items en masse, to sell or donate to British institutions upon returning. His acquisitions form a considerable backbone of the early holdings at the V&A, British Museum, Ashmolean and Fitzwilliam. His contributions to the Victoria and Albert Museum incorporate both ancient and Islamic artefacts, predominantly but not exclusively purchased in Egypt; the most significant acquisitions include several hundred fragments of Late Antique textiles from Akhmim, given to the museum between 1887 and 1892. Chester was widely regarded as having a keen eye for acquisitions, and cultivated close friendships with several prominent Egyptologists. He was also notable for recording the provenance of many ancient items he purchased, an unusual practice for the time.


Production
Possibly Fatimid Caliphate
Association
Collection
Accession number
1558-1871

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Record createdMay 5, 2005
Record URL
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