Earring
1815-1867 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Italian women have always loved lavish display. Even for the poorest, a rich show of jewellery was all important. Italian goldsmiths were expert at making a little material go a very long way. Many pieces seem too large to wear comfortably, but they are usually made of very thin gold, and are much lighter than they appear.
All Italian women wore gold earrings. Their shapes varied widely in different places. This earring carries the marks of the Papal States, and was worn in Lazio, in central Italy. It is typical of central Italy, but similar earrings were also worn in southern Italy and Sicily. The large disc at the bottom often had pendants hung through the hole in the centre.
It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
All Italian women wore gold earrings. Their shapes varied widely in different places. This earring carries the marks of the Papal States, and was worn in Lazio, in central Italy. It is typical of central Italy, but similar earrings were also worn in southern Italy and Sicily. The large disc at the bottom often had pendants hung through the hole in the centre.
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 | Gold |
| Brief description | Crescentic gold earring with flat disc at bottom, Papal States (Italy), 1815-1867. |
| Physical description | Gold earring with hollow crescent-shaped tube at base, and hinged wire above. Flat disc attached to lower edge. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | crossed keys with mitre above, in shield-shaped frame (On the wire, and on the disc at the bottom.)
|
| Summary | Italian women have always loved lavish display. Even for the poorest, a rich show of jewellery was all important. Italian goldsmiths were expert at making a little material go a very long way. Many pieces seem too large to wear comfortably, but they are usually made of very thin gold, and are much lighter than they appear. All Italian women wore gold earrings. Their shapes varied widely in different places. This earring carries the marks of the Papal States, and was worn in Lazio, in central Italy. It is typical of central Italy, but similar earrings were also worn in southern Italy and Sicily. The large disc at the bottom often had pendants hung through the hole in the centre. 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 8 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 155-1868 |
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| Record created | February 8, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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