Cross thumbnail 1
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

Cross

1800-1870 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Many Dutch women were rich enough to wear gold in the 19th century. Much of their traditional gold jewellery was made of filigree.

Dutch gold filigree is quite different from the silver filigree used for buttons and clasps. It is made from very fine wire, and usually has decorative appliqués stamped from thin sheet gold. The fluted rosettes and cornucopia on this cross are typical of Dutch work.

Gold filigree jewellery was worn all over the Netherlands, but a cross like this would only have been worn by Catholic women, in the south of the country. It is equally likely to have come from the Flemish areas of Belgium, previously the Spanish (or Catholic) Netherlands, across the border.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Gold filigree with appliqués of a different standard and colour
Brief description
Gold filigree cross, Netherlands or Belgium, 19th century.
Physical description
Delicate cross with a base of open filigree, decorated with numerous tiny coil rings, cornucopia, and sheet gold appliqués of rosettes and crescents.
Dimensions
  • Height: 5.5cm
  • Width: 4.9cm
  • Depth: 0.8cm
Marks and inscriptions
illegible mark (On suspension ring.)
Production
Worn by Roman Catholic women
Subjects depicted
Summary
Many Dutch women were rich enough to wear gold in the 19th century. Much of their traditional gold jewellery was made of filigree.

Dutch gold filigree is quite different from the silver filigree used for buttons and clasps. It is made from very fine wire, and usually has decorative appliqués stamped from thin sheet gold. The fluted rosettes and cornucopia on this cross are typical of Dutch work.

Gold filigree jewellery was worn all over the Netherlands, but a cross like this would only have been worn by Catholic women, in the south of the country. It is equally likely to have come from the Flemish areas of Belgium, previously the Spanish (or Catholic) Netherlands, across the border.
Collection
Accession number
145-1870

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Record createdJuly 27, 2007
Record URL
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