Necklace
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. Many pieces seem too large to wear comfortably, but they are usually made of very thin metal, and are much lighter than they appear. This necklace is made from hollow gold beads, as thin as paper.
Most Italian traditional necklaces are made of beads, in designs which have been worn for centuries. They were usually strung on red cord, which probably had an amuletic function. The cord of this necklace was originally dyed red, but the colour only survives in patches, where it has been protected by the beads.
It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.
Most Italian traditional necklaces are made of beads, in designs which have been worn for centuries. They were usually strung on red cord, which probably had an amuletic function. The cord of this necklace was originally dyed red, but the colour only survives in patches, where it has been protected by the beads.
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 | Hollow stamped gold beads |
| Brief description | Necklace of large hollow gold beads, southern Italy, 1800-1867. |
| Physical description | 14 large hollow gold beads strung on fibre cord which was formerly dyed red. Each bead is slightly facetted, and stamped with a pattern of volutes in beaded frames. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production | Worn in the south |
| 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 metal, and are much lighter than they appear. This necklace is made from hollow gold beads, as thin as paper. Most Italian traditional necklaces are made of beads, in designs which have been worn for centuries. They were usually strung on red cord, which probably had an amuletic function. The cord of this necklace was originally dyed red, but the colour only survives in patches, where it has been protected by the beads. 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 10 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 265-1868 |
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| Record created | April 3, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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