Collar and Pendant
This chain, made from Gothic letters, is typical of a late medieval collar. It was acquired, with an amber heart pendant attached to it, from a charity in 1920. The donor had described them as having been in their family in Scotland for several generations.
The heart pendant was made by Lorenz Wretman, who was a silversmith who worked in Landskrona, in Sweden, from 1764 to 1791. Although Sweden became Protestant in 1527, Swedish women continued to wear crosses and other jewellery richly decorated with the full Catholic imagery of their medieval predecessors. This pendant has the scene of the Crucifixion on the back, superimposed on the letters IHS, the first letters of the name Jesus in Greek. The floral design of the letters and the hollow ball below the suspension loop are both typical of Swedish traditional jewellery. It would have been worn as an amulet as much as a jewel. Amber was widely believed to have protective powers, and the religious design on the back would have enhanced this meaning.
The chain may also be Scandinavian in origin, although similar chains were worn widely throughout Europe in the late Middle Ages. A similar chain, from Vik in Norway, is preserved in the Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo.
The heart pendant was made by Lorenz Wretman, who was a silversmith who worked in Landskrona, in Sweden, from 1764 to 1791. Although Sweden became Protestant in 1527, Swedish women continued to wear crosses and other jewellery richly decorated with the full Catholic imagery of their medieval predecessors. This pendant has the scene of the Crucifixion on the back, superimposed on the letters IHS, the first letters of the name Jesus in Greek. The floral design of the letters and the hollow ball below the suspension loop are both typical of Swedish traditional jewellery. It would have been worn as an amulet as much as a jewel. Amber was widely believed to have protective powers, and the religious design on the back would have enhanced this meaning.
The chain may also be Scandinavian in origin, although similar chains were worn widely throughout Europe in the late Middle Ages. A similar chain, from Vik in Norway, is preserved in the Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Object history | The collar was originally acquired with an attached German pendant (now detached). It is suggested that it might be the badge of a town minstrel, and that the links, which are in the form of an 'N', signify the name of the town. It is equally possible that 'N' is the initial of a name. The finish is a little mechanical and crude, a later date, and a Scandinavian origin, are not impossible. |
| Summary | This chain, made from Gothic letters, is typical of a late medieval collar. It was acquired, with an amber heart pendant attached to it, from a charity in 1920. The donor had described them as having been in their family in Scotland for several generations. The heart pendant was made by Lorenz Wretman, who was a silversmith who worked in Landskrona, in Sweden, from 1764 to 1791. Although Sweden became Protestant in 1527, Swedish women continued to wear crosses and other jewellery richly decorated with the full Catholic imagery of their medieval predecessors. This pendant has the scene of the Crucifixion on the back, superimposed on the letters IHS, the first letters of the name Jesus in Greek. The floral design of the letters and the hollow ball below the suspension loop are both typical of Swedish traditional jewellery. It would have been worn as an amulet as much as a jewel. Amber was widely believed to have protective powers, and the religious design on the back would have enhanced this meaning. The chain may also be Scandinavian in origin, although similar chains were worn widely throughout Europe in the late Middle Ages. A similar chain, from Vik in Norway, is preserved in the Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.303&A-1920 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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