Earring
1800-1867 (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 this earring have been backed with 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. One of the most popular designs was the girandole, with three drops hanging from a central boss. This 17th century pattern survived until the end of the 19th century with traditional costume in Italy. This earring is typical of Piedmont, although similar patterns were found throughout central and northern Italy in the 19th century. The original owner of this earring would probably have had a long matching pendant as well.
It was bought for £4 (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. One of the most popular designs was the girandole, with three drops hanging from a central boss. This 17th century pattern survived until the end of the 19th century with traditional costume in Italy. This earring is typical of Piedmont, although similar patterns were found throughout central and northern Italy in the 19th century. The original owner of this earring would probably have had a long matching pendant as well.
It was bought for £4 (the pair) 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 set with seed pearls, pearls, and garnets |
| Brief description | Gold girandole earring set with garnets and pearls, Piedmont (Italy), 1800-1867. |
| Physical description | Girandole earring of pierced sheet gold set with wired pearls surrounded by flat-cut garnets, with occasional seed pearls tied to the edges. Hinged wire. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | cloud with rain, inside a circular frame (On the front of the central part, on left rim; on the front of each pendant, at the tip; and on the side of the wire.) |
| 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 this earring have been backed with 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. One of the most popular designs was the girandole, with three drops hanging from a central boss. This 17th century pattern survived until the end of the 19th century with traditional costume in Italy. This earring is typical of Piedmont, although similar patterns were found throughout central and northern Italy in the 19th century. The original owner of this earring would probably have had a long matching pendant as well. It was bought for £4 (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 1 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 392-1868 |
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| Record created | October 31, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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