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

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

Bourg-en-Bresse, in the south east of France, specialised in making enamels. The enamellers did not work directly on the finished object, but made individual plaques of enamel in a wide palette of different colours, building up the surface with separate drops of colour and tiny shapes made from gold leaf. The jewellers then set these plaques in jewellery, as if they were precious stones. They often added a tiny stone in the centre of the plaques, creating a rich multi-textured effect. Many Bressan enamel plaques were exported to other places, particularly Paris, where local goldsmiths used them in their jewellery. This cross has the mark of Paul Ydot of Paris, who worked from 1870 to 1891. It was bought for £1 9s. at the International Exhibition, London, 1872.

The British revered French fashion as much in the 19th century as today, and loved the rich colours of Bressan enamels. They believed that these pieces were authentic French peasant jewellery but most never formed part of traditional costume.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver-gilt filigree with enamels and coloured pastes
Brief description
Silver-gilt filigree pendent cross decorated with Bressan enamels, Paris (France), c.1870.
Physical description
Pendant cross, consisting of six lozenge-shaped enamel medallions set in a filigree frame, suspended from a bale with an oval medallion, formerly enamelled, on its front. All the (remaining) enamels are further decorated with tiny faceted pastes in the centre.
Dimensions
  • Length: 8.4cm
  • Width: 4.8cm
  • Depth: 0.8cm
Marks and inscriptions
'PY' in lozenge. (On the front of the cross, on the suspension ring.)
Translation
Mark of Paul Ydot of Paris.
Subject depicted
Summary
Bourg-en-Bresse, in the south east of France, specialised in making enamels. The enamellers did not work directly on the finished object, but made individual plaques of enamel in a wide palette of different colours, building up the surface with separate drops of colour and tiny shapes made from gold leaf. The jewellers then set these plaques in jewellery, as if they were precious stones. They often added a tiny stone in the centre of the plaques, creating a rich multi-textured effect. Many Bressan enamel plaques were exported to other places, particularly Paris, where local goldsmiths used them in their jewellery. This cross has the mark of Paul Ydot of Paris, who worked from 1870 to 1891. It was bought for £1 9s. at the International Exhibition, London, 1872.

The British revered French fashion as much in the 19th century as today, and loved the rich colours of Bressan enamels. They believed that these pieces were authentic French peasant jewellery but most never formed part of traditional costume.
Collection
Accession number
1228-1873

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJanuary 18, 2008
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest