Chain 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

Chain

18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In the 17th century, Russian men and women of all ranks wore long chains of heavy silver filigree. By the 19th century these chains had fallen out of fashion. Only priests, and people who wore traditional dress, continued to use them. It is impossible to date these chains accurately, as they remained unchanged for centuries, and are rarely marked.

Russian filigree chains are usually made from scrolls of wire soldered together side by side to make individual links. This chain has links of two scrolls each, widening to four scrolls at the back. At each end it has a long triangular terminal ending in a loop. Originally these loops would have been joined by a U-shaped link to hold a cross or pendant.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver-plated copper
Brief description
Long silver-plated chain with varying filigree links, Russia, 18th century.
Physical description
Chain with links of two sizes, each made from S-shaped coils of wire soldered together side by side, with short strips of beaded wire between them, in units of four at the centre and two at the ends. Links joined to each other by four (or two) plain ribbon wire rings. At each end the final link is elongated to a triangle, with a loop at the apex.
Dimensions
  • Length: 88.1cm
  • Width: 2.5cm
  • Depth: 0.4cm
Summary
In the 17th century, Russian men and women of all ranks wore long chains of heavy silver filigree. By the 19th century these chains had fallen out of fashion. Only priests, and people who wore traditional dress, continued to use them. It is impossible to date these chains accurately, as they remained unchanged for centuries, and are rarely marked.

Russian filigree chains are usually made from scrolls of wire soldered together side by side to make individual links. This chain has links of two scrolls each, widening to four scrolls at the back. At each end it has a long triangular terminal ending in a loop. Originally these loops would have been joined by a U-shaped link to hold a cross or pendant.
Collection
Accession number
131-1866

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Record createdMarch 7, 2008
Record URL
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