Hair Pin
1835-1863 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Hair pins were the sign of a respectable married woman in Italy. They were first worn at the wedding, and after that on feast days and special occasions. Only the unmarried and prostitutes wore their hair loose.
Hair pins were worn throughout the country. Those with round filigree heads, like this one, mainly come from the south. They were worn at the back of the head, piercing and securing the thick braids of hair. They were inserted diagonally or horizontally, so that the decorative heads stuck out at the side of the face. The number of pins worn varied by district. In some places they were worn all round the head, like a fan, but the largest were usually worn singly or in pairs.
This design is called ‘limoncello e carofano’, meaning 'a little lemon with a sprouting top'. It is typical of hair pins from the Campania region around Naples. It has silver marks which show it was made in southern Italy between 1835 and 1863.
It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
Hair pins were worn throughout the country. Those with round filigree heads, like this one, mainly come from the south. They were worn at the back of the head, piercing and securing the thick braids of hair. They were inserted diagonally or horizontally, so that the decorative heads stuck out at the side of the face. The number of pins worn varied by district. In some places they were worn all round the head, like a fan, but the largest were usually worn singly or in pairs.
This design is called ‘limoncello e carofano’, meaning 'a little lemon with a sprouting top'. It is typical of hair pins from the Campania region around Naples. It has silver marks which show it was made in southern Italy between 1835 and 1863.
It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver filigree |
| Brief description | Silver hair pin (limoncello e carofano) with round filigree top, Naples (Italy), 1835-1863. |
| Physical description | Hair pin with round stem and decorative filigree head in the shape of a large open sphere, with three tiers of rosettes above it, ending in three entwined stamens at the top. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Partial mark of the letter 'N' with a bar through it. (On the stem, near the top. Mark for 833 standard silver, Naples, 1835-1863.) |
| Summary | Hair pins were the sign of a respectable married woman in Italy. They were first worn at the wedding, and after that on feast days and special occasions. Only the unmarried and prostitutes wore their hair loose. Hair pins were worn throughout the country. Those with round filigree heads, like this one, mainly come from the south. They were worn at the back of the head, piercing and securing the thick braids of hair. They were inserted diagonally or horizontally, so that the decorative heads stuck out at the side of the face. The number of pins worn varied by district. In some places they were worn all round the head, like a fan, but the largest were usually worn singly or in pairs. This design is called ‘limoncello e carofano’, meaning 'a little lemon with a sprouting top'. It is typical of hair pins from the Campania region around Naples. It has silver marks which show it was made in southern Italy between 1835 and 1863. It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867. |
| Bibliographic reference | 'Italian Jewellery as worn by the Peasants of Italy', Arundel Society, London, 1868, Plate 11 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 289-1868 |
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| Record created | February 8, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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