Bodice fasteners

Norwegian traditional jewellery is called bunadsølv (dress silver). Most of it has changed very little since medieval times. More women in Norway still own and wear traditional jewellery than in any other country in Europe. You can see jewellery like this being worn at weddings or on other social occasions to this day.

Most Norwegian women's traditional dress includes a bodice, which was laced up at the front. For festive and wedding dress, the eyelets through which the lacing cord was threaded, the cord itself, and the tags at the ends of the cord, were all made of silver.

The eyelets or bodice fasteners (maljer) were used mainly for decoration. They were worn not only on the bodice, but also in rows on the jacket, and sometimes even on the headdress. They were often sewn onto a strip of rich material, called a maljeklut, to make it easier to attach them to the costume.

These maljer are typical of those used in Telemark in the 19th century. They consist of a rosette of gilded silver filigree resting on a circle of twisted wire. One petal is deliberately missing from each rosette, to leave room for the lace or chain which joins them together.

They were bought for £4 14s (including their cloth backing, which is now missing) at the International Exhibition, London, 1872.