Earring
1815-1867 (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 is typical of the Marches, in central Italy. It is gold-plated, to look like real gold, and carries the silver mark of the Papal States. It comes from the village of Sant’Angelo in Vado. This is the place where Castellani claimed to have found silversmiths still using the techniques of the ancient Etruscans.
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 is typical of the Marches, in central Italy. It is gold-plated, to look like real gold, and carries the silver mark of the Papal States. It comes from the village of Sant’Angelo in Vado. This is the place where Castellani claimed to have found silversmiths still using the techniques of the ancient Etruscans.
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-gilt with applied filigree decoration |
| Brief description | Large silver-gilt hollow crescent earring (navicella), Papal States (Italy), 1815-1867. |
| Physical description | Hollow silver-gilt earring, shaped like a scalloped crescent, with five flat discs on the lower edge, each originally supporting a large hollow pear-shaped pendant, all now missing. Filigree motif inside the crescent, and rings and rosettes of applied wire decorating all surfaces. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Object history | Castellani Jewellery Exhibition RF.2003/302 |
| 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 is typical of the Marches, in central Italy. It is gold-plated, to look like real gold, and carries the silver mark of the Papal States. It comes from the village of Sant’Angelo in Vado. This is the place where Castellani claimed to have found silversmiths still using the techniques of the ancient Etruscans. 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 | 42-1868 |
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| Record created | February 13, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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