Earring
1820-1867 (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. The garnets in these earrings have been backed with red metallic foil to improve their colour. Red and gold are the dominant colours in Italian traditional jewellery.
All Italian women wore gold earrings. Their shapes varied widely in different places. These earrings are typical of the area around Parma and Modena, although similar patterns were found throughout central and northern Italy in the 19th century. They were bought for £5 16s the pair 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. These earrings are typical of the area around Parma and Modena, although similar patterns were found throughout central and northern Italy in the 19th century. They were bought for £5 16s the pair as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Gold set with pierced pearls and foiled garnets |
| Brief description | Pair of gold girandole earrings set with pearls and garnets, Italy, 1820-1867. |
| Physical description | Pair of girandole earrings, consisting of a circular openwork segment above a crescent-shaped pendant, with three oval pendants hanging from its base. All the pieces are made from pierced gold sheet set with garnets and pierced pearls. Hinged wire at back. |
| Dimensions |
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| 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. The garnets in these earrings have been backed with red metallic foil to improve their colour. Red and gold are the dominant colours in Italian traditional jewellery. All Italian women wore gold earrings. Their shapes varied widely in different places. These earrings are typical of the area around Parma and Modena, although similar patterns were found throughout central and northern Italy in the 19th century. They were bought for £5 16s the pair 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 2 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 334&A-1868 |
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| Record created | February 8, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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