Earring
1800-1867 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This earring was acquired in the Abruzzi, and was described as a bridal gift. The Abruzzi is a remote and mountainous area of central Italy, and traditional jewellery survived there longer than in many other parts of the country. It was formerly part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and the jewellery is often different from that found elsewhere in northern and central Italy, but this earring is not distinctive. It is set with white pastes, imitating the diamonds worn with aristocratic jewellery. The central section of the pendant drop would originally have swung freely, but it has been soldered in place at top and bottom.
It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
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 | Silver and gold set with white pastes |
| Brief description | Silver pendant earring set with white pastes, Abruzzi (Italy), 1800-1867. |
| Physical description | Long pendant earring with hinged wire, with a circle on the front, looking like an open claw setting, set with tiny white pastes. A drop-shaped pendant hangs from the wire, consisting of a frame of small square-cut pastes, with a strip of graduated oval pastes in the centre. The strip of oval pastes would originally have hung freely, but have been soldered in place at top and bottom. The pastes are all close-set. |
| Dimensions |
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| Summary | This earring was acquired in the Abruzzi, and was described as a bridal gift. The Abruzzi is a remote and mountainous area of central Italy, and traditional jewellery survived there longer than in many other parts of the country. It was formerly part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and the jewellery is often different from that found elsewhere in northern and central Italy, but this earring is not distinctive. It is set with white pastes, imitating the diamonds worn with aristocratic jewellery. The central section of the pendant drop would originally have swung freely, but it has been soldered in place at top and bottom. 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 9 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 203-1868 |
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| Record created | February 6, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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