Earring
1780-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
These earrings with their symmetrical bows are a characteristic neo-classical Portugese design of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They form part of a demi-parure - a half set of jewels - which includes a necklace which has a symmetrical bow and a long pendant, which echoes the shape of the earrings. Gone is the asymmetry of the mid-eighteenth century jewels influenced by the rococo.
The effect is of brilliance and light. The stones are white and set in silver to enhance their whiteness. They might have been diamonds, but, if they had been, they would probably have been reset into new fashions many times since. This set of jewels owes its survival to the fact that the stones are white topaz and paste (glass).
The effect is of brilliance and light. The stones are white and set in silver to enhance their whiteness. They might have been diamonds, but, if they had been, they would probably have been reset into new fashions many times since. This set of jewels owes its survival to the fact that the stones are white topaz and paste (glass).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | White topaz set in silver |
| Brief description | Pair of earrings, white topaz set in silver openwork with pendants, made in Portugal, 1780-1800 |
| Physical description | Pair of earrings, white topaz set in silver openwork, with pendants suspended from a complex bow. |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Mrs A. E. Stuart |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Mrs Ada Eliza Stuart, who died in 1928. In her will described as 'my old Spanish necklace'. |
| Historical context | These earrings with their symmetrical bows are a characteristic neo-classical Portugese design of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They form part of a demi-parure - a half set of jewels - which includes a necklace which has a symmetrical bow and a long pendant, which echoes the shape of the earrings. The effect is of brilliance and light. The stones are white and set in silver to enhance their whiteness. They are cut like brilliant-cut diamonds, but, if they had been diamonds, they would probably have been reset into new fashions many times since. This set of jewels owes its survival to the fact that the stones are white topaz. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | These earrings with their symmetrical bows are a characteristic neo-classical Portugese design of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They form part of a demi-parure - a half set of jewels - which includes a necklace which has a symmetrical bow and a long pendant, which echoes the shape of the earrings. Gone is the asymmetry of the mid-eighteenth century jewels influenced by the rococo. The effect is of brilliance and light. The stones are white and set in silver to enhance their whiteness. They might have been diamonds, but, if they had been, they would probably have been reset into new fashions many times since. This set of jewels owes its survival to the fact that the stones are white topaz and paste (glass). |
| Bibliographic reference | Bury, Shirley. Jewellery Gallery Summary Catalogue. London: V&A, 1982. p. 100, Case 16 Board B no. 2 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.104A&B-1930 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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