Ring Brooch thumbnail 1
Ring Brooch thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91 to 93 mezzanine, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Ring Brooch

ca. 1870 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Traditional jewellery often preserves forms and designs which date back many centuries, and have long been outdated in fashionable jewellery. The ring brooch is a typical example. Circular and heart-shaped ring brooches are medieval in origin and were used throughout northern Europe with traditional dress. They differ from modern brooches in the way they fasten. The wearer pulls the cloth of the garment through the central hole, and then spears it with the pin. The greater the strain on the pin, the more secure the fastening.

Plain ring brooches like this one, made of deeply curved sheet silver, are typical of central and northern Sweden, particularly Dalarna province. Women wore them to hold a scarf in place at the neck. By the end of the 19th century they were popular throughout Sweden, and were sold through mail-order catalogues as typical traditional jewellery. The lozenge-shaped pendants are characteristically Nordic.

This brooch has the Swedish 'cat's foot' silver mark, two indistinct characters, possibly T3, and the maker's mark AGM. Anders Gustaf Millberg was a silversmith who worked in Stockholm from 1860 to 1888. The characters may be a date mark, but if so do not fit the maker's mark. The brooch itself gives no clues as to its age, as this shape was used unaltered over a long period of time. It was bought for three shillings at the International Exhibition, London, 1872.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver
Brief description
Silver ring brooch (ringsölja or bröstsölja) with five pendent lozenges, Dalarna (Sweden), c.1870.
Physical description
Circular ring brooch with convex front and five pendent lozenges hanging from the lower edge, each with an incised cross.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 4.7cm
  • Length: 6.1cm
  • Depth: 1.0cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'AGM' in rectangular frame. (On the front.)
    Translation
    Mark of Anders Gustaf Millberg of Stockholm.
  • 3 crowns. (On the front.)
    Translation
    Mark for 830 standard silver, Sweden.
  • Illegible mark, possibly T3. (On the front.)
    Translation
    Perhaps a date mark.
Production
Worn by women
Summary
Traditional jewellery often preserves forms and designs which date back many centuries, and have long been outdated in fashionable jewellery. The ring brooch is a typical example. Circular and heart-shaped ring brooches are medieval in origin and were used throughout northern Europe with traditional dress. They differ from modern brooches in the way they fasten. The wearer pulls the cloth of the garment through the central hole, and then spears it with the pin. The greater the strain on the pin, the more secure the fastening.

Plain ring brooches like this one, made of deeply curved sheet silver, are typical of central and northern Sweden, particularly Dalarna province. Women wore them to hold a scarf in place at the neck. By the end of the 19th century they were popular throughout Sweden, and were sold through mail-order catalogues as typical traditional jewellery. The lozenge-shaped pendants are characteristically Nordic.

This brooch has the Swedish 'cat's foot' silver mark, two indistinct characters, possibly T3, and the maker's mark AGM. Anders Gustaf Millberg was a silversmith who worked in Stockholm from 1860 to 1888. The characters may be a date mark, but if so do not fit the maker's mark. The brooch itself gives no clues as to its age, as this shape was used unaltered over a long period of time. It was bought for three shillings at the International Exhibition, London, 1872.
Collection
Accession number
1359-1873

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Record createdJuly 27, 2007
Record URL
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