Jewel thumbnail 1
Jewel 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

Jewel

ca.1450-1500 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Flower shaped jewels, which allowed a prized gemstone to be effectively set off at their centre, appear to have been popular amongst the nobility of Europe in the 15th Century, although few survive. The prominent loops on this one suggest that it was likely to have been sewn onto a garment, or it may possibly have been one element of a jewelled collar. The white enamelled gold beads were intended to resemble pearls and are similar to ones on a jewel in the Fishpool Hoard, ca 1464, now in the British Museum.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Gold, spinel, enamel
Brief description
Gold and enamel jewel set with spinel, found at Utterby, Lincolnshire, ca. 1450-1500
Physical description
Gold jewel cast in the shape of a stylized flower, inset with a prominent stippled central motif mounted on a post, with four claws which hold a large oval spinel of pinky-purple colour. This is encircled by gold beads on stalks, enamelled in white. Two loops are soldered onto the flower, one on each side.
Dimensions
  • Height: 7.4mm
  • Max width: 19.4mm
Marks and inscriptions
Unmarked
Credit line
Purchased through the generosity of Genevieve Davies
Object history
Found by a metal detectorist in Utterby, Lincolnshire in 2009 and declared Treasure. Purchased via the Treasure Act 1996.
Subject depicted
Summary
Flower shaped jewels, which allowed a prized gemstone to be effectively set off at their centre, appear to have been popular amongst the nobility of Europe in the 15th Century, although few survive. The prominent loops on this one suggest that it was likely to have been sewn onto a garment, or it may possibly have been one element of a jewelled collar. The white enamelled gold beads were intended to resemble pearls and are similar to ones on a jewel in the Fishpool Hoard, ca 1464, now in the British Museum.
Bibliographic references
  • Campbell, Marian. 'Found in London, made in London - London connections for some medieval metalwork in the Victoria & Albert Museum'. In: 'Hidden Histories and Records of Antiquity': Essays on Saxon and Medieval London for John Clark, Curator Emeritus, Museum of London, ed. by Jonathan Cotton, Jenny Hall, Jackie Keily, Roz Sherris and Roy Stephenson. London and Middlesex Archaeological Society Special Paper, 17. London: London and Middlesex Archaeological Society, 2014. ISBN 9780903290685.
Collection
Accession number
M.16-2010

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Record createdSeptember 14, 2010
Record URL
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