Earring
1812-1867 (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, with its bi-conical pendant, is typical of the Veneto, the area around Venice. The stamped decoration round the centre, and on the plaque at the top, is imitating applied filigree. Venice had been famous since the Middle Ages for its fine gold and filigree work.
It was bought 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. This earring, with its bi-conical pendant, is typical of the Veneto, the area around Venice. The stamped decoration round the centre, and on the plaque at the top, is imitating applied filigree. Venice had been famous since the Middle Ages for its fine gold and filigree work.
It 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 | Stamped sheet gold |
| Brief description | Gold pendant earring, Venice (Italy), 1812-1867. |
| Physical description | Earring with a hinged wire, and a small circular stamped plaque on the front with a beaded border. From the wire hangs a hollow bi-conical pendant of thin stamped gold, with an openwork section in the centre, and a hollow bead at the base. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | sword in a shaped frame (On wire, and on suspension ring at top of pendant.)
|
| 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, with its bi-conical pendant, is typical of the Veneto, the area around Venice. The stamped decoration round the centre, and on the plaque at the top, is imitating applied filigree. Venice had been famous since the Middle Ages for its fine gold and filigree work. It 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 3 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 67-1868 |
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| Record created | January 23, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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