Earring thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

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. 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 comes from Aquino, in Lazio, in central Italy. Simple hoop earrings, often very large and with faceted or domed decoration, were common throughout central and northern Italy in the 19th century, and are still widely worn today.

This earring 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
Gold hoop earring with faceted band and ball for wire, Aquino (Italy), 1820-1867.
Physical description
Hoop earring of thin ribbon wire, lightly faceted on the outside surface, with a hollow sphere concealing the point of the wire. Hinged wire, with supporting wire across the top of the hoop, and small loop at top for support.
Dimensions
  • Length: 6.1cm
  • Width: 5.7cm
  • Depth: 0.9cm
Marks and inscriptions
'CB' in oval frame. (On outside face of hoop.)
Translation
Mark of unidentified maker.
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 comes from Aquino, in Lazio, in central Italy. Simple hoop earrings, often very large and with faceted or domed decoration, were common throughout central and northern Italy in the 19th century, and are still widely worn today.

This earring 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 9
Collection
Accession number
192-1868

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Record createdNovember 21, 2008
Record URL
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